Disaster and Subsequent Healthcare Utilization

BACKGROUND: The impact of disasters on primary healthcare utilization is largely unknown. Moreover, it is often overlooked how disaster affects those closest to the primary victims, their family members. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the long-term effects of a catastrophic fire on primary healthcare utilization. RESEARCH DESIGN: We conducted a prospective, population-based cohort study covering 1 year pre- and 3 years postfire. Utilization data were extracted from primary care records. SUBJECTS: Subjects consisted of 286 disaster victims, 802 family members of disaster victims, 3722 community control subjects, and 10,230 patients from a national reference population. MEASURES: As outcome measures, we studied 1) the annual number of contacts in primary care and 2) the annual number of contacts for problems related to mental health. Determinants are injury characteristics of victims and bereavement. All analyses control for age, gender, and insurance status. RESULTS: Being an uninjured victim who witnessed the disaster increases the number of contacts by a factor of 1.55 during the first year postfire (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-1.78). Uninjured victims contact the family practitioner more often for mental health-related problems than adolescent community control subjects (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 4.54; 95% CI, 1.69-12.20). In adult family members, the loss of a child predicts overall utilization (IRR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.35-2.63) and utilization for mental health (IRR, 8.69; 95% CI, 2.10-35.92) during the first year postfire. CONCLUSION: Attention should be paid to the primary care needs of bereaved individuals and those who have witnessed the disaster

Health care · Medical emergency · MEDLINE · Political science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

• Prediction of Unmet Primary Care Needs for the Medically Vulnerable Post-Disaster

  Open Access•Jennifer R Runkle, Jennifer D Runkle et al.•International Journal of…•2012

  Incluir item

• Disaster Resilience Differs between Survivors and Victims’ Families

  Open Access•Jae-Eun Lee, Soo Ah Kwon et al.•Social Sciences•2022

  Incluir item

• Secondary Surge Capacity

  Jennifer R Runkle, Jennifer Davis Runkle et al.•American Journal of Public Health•2012

  Incluir item

• Handbook of bereavement research

  Henk and Schut, Margaret S Stroebe et al.•Handbook of Bereavement Research•2001

  Incluir item

• Parental response to child loss across the life cycle

  Simon Shimshon Rubin, Ruth Malkinson•Handbook of Bereavement Research•2001

  Incluir item

• Disaster Victims Speak

  Fran H Norris, Melvin J Friedman et al.•Psychiatry•2002

  Incluir item

• Disaster Victims Speak

  Fran H Norris, Melvin J Friedman et al.•Psychiatry•2002

  Incluir item

• Alcohol Consumption and Utilization of Health Services in a Health Maintenance Organization

  Mary Anne Armstrong, Lorraine T Midanik et al.•Medical Care•1998

  Incluir item

• Physician Utilization

  John M Eisenberg•Medical Care•2002

  Incluir item

• How Valid Are Medical Records and Patient Questionnaires for Physician Profiling and Health Services Research

  Kurt C Stange, Stephen J Zyzanski et al.•Medical Care•1998

  Incluir item

• Life events and daily hassles and uplifts as predictors of hospitalization and outpatient visitation

  Open Access•R T Williams, Robert Williams et al.•Social Science & Medicine•1992

  Incluir item