Medical care capacity for influenza outbreaks, Los Angeles.
In December 1997, media reported hospital overcrowding and "the worst [flu epidemic] in the past two decades" in Los Angeles County (LAC). We found that rates of pneumonia and influenza deaths, hospitalizations, and claims were substantially higher for the 1997-98 influenza season than the previous six seasons. Hours of emergency medical services (EMS) diversion (when emergency departments could not receive incoming patients) peaked during the influenza seasons studied; the number of EMS diversion hours per season also increased during the seasons 1993-94 to 1997-98, suggesting a decrease in medical care capacity during influenza seasons. Over the seven influenza seasons studied, the number of licensed beds decreased 12%, while the LAC population increased 5%. Our findings suggest that the capacity of health-care systems to handle patient visits during influenza seasons is diminishing.
Glaser
Carol A
CA
California Department of Health Services, Richmond, California 94804, USA. cglaser@dhs.ca.gov
Gilliam
Sabrina
S
Thompson
William W
WW
Dassey
David E
DE
Waterman
Stephen H
SH
Saruwatari
Mitchell
M
Shapiro
Stanley
S
Fukuda
Keiji
K
D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005260:Female; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons