Health services utilization under Qassam rocket attacks.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychiatry
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Southern Israel faced continuous Qassam rocket attacks from 2000-2007, creating a unique threat environment.
• The impact of this prolonged threat on healthcare utilization remained unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare health utilization patterns in primary care clinics.
• One clinic was situated in an area under continuous rocket attacks, while the other was not.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted involving 11,630 individuals across two primary care clinics.
• Key metrics included annual visits per person, specific diagnoses, medication prescriptions, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and cardiac procedures.

Main Results:

• Both clinics saw an increase in annual visits per person over time.
• The clinic under rocket threat experienced a rise in visits for depression and anxiety, and an increase in anxiolytic prescriptions.
• Conversely, the clinic under threat saw a decrease in emergency room visits compared to the control clinic.

Conclusions:

• Populations experiencing continuous life-threatening events exhibit higher rates of depression and anxiety.
• During intense bombardment, residents tend to limit non-essential outings, including seeking emergency medical care.