OBJECTIVES: Influenza assessment centres (IACs) were deployed to reduce emergency department (ED) volumes during the pH1N1 influenza outbreak in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) public health region of Ontario, Canada, in the fall of 2009. We present a case study for the deployment of IACs to reduce ED visit volume during both periods of pandemic and seasonal communicable disease outbreak. METHODS: An emergency department syndromic surveillance system was used to trigger the deployment of eight geographically distributed IACs and to time their staggered closure 3 weeks later. We compared actual and expected ED visit volumes in the KFL&A region to neighbouring regions where no IACs operated by time series regression analysis before, during, and after IAC operation. RESULTS: The deployment of IACs was triggered with a rise in overall ED volume at the hospitals in the KFL&A region to a level 10% above the 6-month running average. The IACs assessed 2,284 patients during 3 weeks of operation. Thirty-three patients were admitted directly to the hospital from the IACs, bypassing the EDs. During the operation of the IACs, the hospitals in the KFL&A region experienced a modest decrease in daily visits when compared to the 3 previous weeks. Overall ED visit volume in the hospitals in the neighbouring regions increased 105% during the period of IAC operation. CONCLUSIONS: Operating stand-alone influenza IACs may reduce ED volumes during periods of increased demand, as observed during an anticipated pandemic situation.
OBJECTIVES: Influenza assessment centres (IACs) were deployed to reduce emergency department (ED) volumes during the pH1N1 influenza outbreak in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) public health region of Ontario, Canada, in the fall of 2009. We present a case study for the deployment of IACs to reduce ED visit volume during both periods of pandemic and seasonal communicable disease outbreak. METHODS: An emergency department syndromic surveillance system was used to trigger the deployment of eight geographically distributed IACs and to time their staggered closure 3 weeks later. We compared actual and expected ED visit volumes in the KFL&A region to neighbouring regions where no IACs operated by time series regression analysis before, during, and after IAC operation. RESULTS: The deployment of IACs was triggered with a rise in overall ED volume at the hospitals in the KFL&A region to a level 10% above the 6-month running average. The IACs assessed 2,284 patients during 3 weeks of operation. Thirty-three patients were admitted directly to the hospital from the IACs, bypassing the EDs. During the operation of the IACs, the hospitals in the KFL&A region experienced a modest decrease in daily visits when compared to the 3 previous weeks. Overall ED visit volume in the hospitals in the neighbouring regions increased 105% during the period of IAC operation. CONCLUSIONS: Operating stand-alone influenza IACs may reduce ED volumes during periods of increased demand, as observed during an anticipated pandemic situation.
Authors: Sophie Mulcahy Symmons; Robert Fox; Marese Mannion; David Joyce; Aoife De Brún; Liam Glynn; Damien Ryan; Niamh Keane; Eilish McAuliffe Journal: HRB Open Res Date: 2021-05-12
Authors: James Hibberd; Jessica Carter; Michaella McCoy; Meena Rafiq; Amita Varma; Rita Sanghera; Philippa Matthews; Greta Rait Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-03-12 Impact factor: 3.390