TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Injury-related emergency department visits after Hurricane Maria in a Southern Puerto Rico hospital
JO  - Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
A1  - Frasqueri-Quintana, Verónica M.
A1  - Oliveras García, Carene A.
A1  - Adams, Laura E.
A1  - Torres-Figueroa, Xiomara
A1  - Iriarte, Rafael Iván
A1  - Ryff, Kyle
A1  - Sánchez-González, Liliana
A1  - Pérez Gómez, Vivian
A1  - Pérez-Rodríguez, Nicole M.
A1  - Alvarado, Luisa I.
A1  - Paz-Bailey, Gabriela
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe individuals seeking care for injury at a major emergency department (ED) in southern Puerto Rico in the months after Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017. <br><br>METHODS: After informed consent, we used a modified version of the Natural Disaster Morbidity Surveillance Form to determine why patients were visiting the ED during October 16, 2017-March 28, 2018. We analyzed visits where injury was reported as the primary reason for visit and whether it was hurricane-related. <br><br>RESULTS: Among 5 116 patients, 573 (11%) reported injury as the primary reason for a visit. Of these, 10% were hurricane-related visits. The most common types of injuries were abrasions, lacerations, and cuts (43% of all injury visits and 50% of hurricane-related visits). The most common mechanisms of injury were falls, slips, trips (268, 47%), and being hit by/or against an object (88, 15%). Most injury visits occurred during the first 3 months after the hurricane. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance after Hurricane Maria identified injury as the reason for a visit for about 1 in 10 patients visiting the ED, providing evidence on the patterns of injuries in the months following a hurricane. Public health and emergency providers can use this information to anticipate health care needs after a disaster.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1935-7893
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2019.75
ID  - ref1
ER  -