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Emergency Department and Hospitalization Processes After the February 6 Earthquake: Resource Utilization and Patient
Abdulmutalip Emrecik1, Muge Gulen2, Salim Satar2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Yozgat City Hospital, Yozgat, Turkey.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
|June 25, 2026
Summary
Major earthquakes initially overwhelm emergency departments with trauma patients, shifting to medically complex cases with higher mortality later. Early warning scores show promise for risk stratification in disaster response.
Area of Science:
- Disaster Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Major earthquakes significantly burden emergency departments, with limited data on evolving patient profiles and resource needs.
- Understanding temporal shifts in patient demographics, resource utilization, and outcomes post-earthquake is crucial for effective disaster response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze temporal changes in patient characteristics, diagnostic resource use, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes following the February 6, 2023, earthquakes.
- To assess the impact of a major seismic event on hospital admissions and resource allocation in a disaster-affected region.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational cohort study of adult patients hospitalized within 7 days of the earthquake.
- Analysis included demographics, diagnostic resource utilization (labs, imaging), treatments, early warning scores (MEWS, REMS), and mortality.
- Data collected from a tertiary care hospital in the disaster region.
Main Results:
- 1050 patients analyzed: 80.8% trauma, 19.2% medical admissions.
- Trauma admissions peaked in the first 3 days; medical admissions increased later (p < 0.001).
- Medical patients were older, had higher ICU rates (61.9%), and increased mortality (16.8%). Diagnostic turnaround times were longer for trauma patients. Both MEWS and REMS predicted mortality.
Conclusions:
- Patient profiles, resource demands, and outcomes change dynamically after major earthquakes.
- The initial phase requires trauma and surgical capacity, while later phases necessitate managing medically complex patients with higher mortality risks.
- Early warning scores (MEWS, REMS) show potential for risk stratification in earthquake scenarios, warranting prospective validation for real-time triage.
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