title: Chief complaints and diagnoses of displaced Israelis seeking medical treatment during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine patterns of visits by residents of northern Israel displaced during the Israel-Lebanon War of 2006 to an urgent care system in central Israel and to compare these patterns with those of local patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urgent care clinic system in and around Jerusalem, Israel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients residing in northern Israel who presented from July 12 to August 21, 2006. Local patients who presented during the same time period were used for comparison.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chief complaints, discharge diagnoses, demographics, and visit characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were a total of 1,175 visits for 938 northern patients, reflecting 6.7 percent of total visits to this system. Overall age distribution of northerners was generally similar. As a proportion of visits, adult northerners were less likely to visit for chief complaints of injury or laceration and more likely to visit for complaint of back pain. They were more likely to have a discharge diagnosis of chest pain, anxiety, or hypertension. Northern children and adolescents were less likely to visit due to injury or fall or to have a discharge diagnosis of fracture. They were more likely to have a discharge diagnosis of gastroenteritis or tonsillitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patterns of common discharge diagnoses were generally similar between northern and local residents, with the exception of fewer injury-related visits and more anxiety-related visits. Urgent care appears to have served an important function for displaced individuals during this war, mostly for routine medical needs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lipsitz
authors.forename: Deena
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Nahum
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kovalski
authors.forename: Raz
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hammel
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007861:Lebanon; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012036:Refugees; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014857:Warfare