TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Observation services linked with an urgent care center in the absence of an emergency department: an innovative mechanism to initiate efficient health care delivery in the aftermath of a natural disaster
JO  - Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
A1  - Caspers, Christopher
A1  - Smith, Silas W.
A1  - Seth, Rishi
A1  - Femia, Robert
A1  - Goldfrank, Lewis R.
SP  - 405
EP  - 410
VL  - 10
IS  - 3
N2  - OBJECTIVE: The emergency department (ED) of NYU Langone Medical Center was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, contributing to a public health disaster in New York City. We evaluated hospital-based acute care provided through the establishment of an urgent care center with an associated ED-run observation service (EDOS) that operated in the absence of an ED during this disaster. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients placed in an EDOS following a visit to an urgent care center during the 18 months of ED closure. We reviewed diagnoses, clinical protocols, selection criteria, and performance metrics. <br><br>RESULTS: Of 55,723 urgent care center visits, 15,498 patients were hospitalized, and 3167 of all hospitalized patients (20.4%) were placed in the EDOS. A total of 2660 EDOS patients (84%) were discharged from the EDOS. The 8 most frequently utilized clinical protocols accounted for 76% of the EDOS volume. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: A diverse group of patients presenting to an urgent care center following the destruction of an ED by natural disaster can be cared for in an EDOS, regardless of association with a physical ED. An urgent care center with an associated EDOS can be implemented to provide patient care in a disaster situation. This may be useful when existing ED or hospital resources are compromised. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 6).<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1935-7893
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.49
ID  - ref1
ER  -