title: Predicting daily visits to a walk-in clinic and emergency department using calendar and weather data.
abstract: We studied the association between calendar and weather variables and daily unscheduled patient volume in a walk-in clinic and emergency department. Calendar variables (season, week of month, day of week, holidays, and federal check-delivery days) and weather variables (high temperature and snowfall) forecasted clinic volume, explaining 84% of daily variance and 44% of weekday variance. Staffing according to predicted volume could have decreased overstaffing from 59% to 15% of days, but would have increased understaffing from 2% to 18% of days. Models using calendar and weather data that forecast local utilization may help to schedule staffing for walk-in clinics and emergency departments more efficiently.
authors: Medical Service, Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, KY 40511, USA.
authors: D R
authors: DR
authors: Holleman
authors: R L
authors: RL
authors: Bowling
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Gathy
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005544:Forecasting; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors; D014887:Weather