title: The patient flow of marine disease and nonbattle injury conditions within a multi-echelon system of care.
abstract: Hospitalization data were extracted for Marines who incurred disease and nonbattle injuries in Vietnam from 1965 through 1969, and the inter-echelon movement of each patient who was hospitalized at an echelon II or III facility was tracked until the treatment was completed or until the patient was moved to a continental U.S. facility. The inter-echelon flow of treatment for different types of diagnosis categories was also examined. Results showed that approximately three-fourths of the patients admitted to echelon II or III facilities had no further treatment recorded at a higher echelon of care. Less than one-fifth of the patients required treatment at an echelon IV or echelon V facility. Of the major diagnostic categories, those with infective or parasitic diseases had the lowest percentage of patients treated at echelon IV or V facilities.
authors.affiliation: Medical Information Systems and Operations Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA 92186-5122, USA.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Blood
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005544:Forecasting; D006302:Health Services Research; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009017:Morbidity; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014744:Vietnam; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy