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[Do physicians' strikes influence the utilization profile of hospital emergency services?]
F Buitrago1, M J Gamero Samino, J M Vergeles Blanca
1Unidad docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Centro de Salud Universitario La Paz de Badajoz.
Insights
Hospital physician strikes did not significantly alter emergency facility use patterns or patient demographics. Patient visits, self-referrals, and discharge rates remained largely consistent during the strike period compared to a non-strike period.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Healthcare Management
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Hospital physician strikes can impact healthcare access and resource utilization.
- Understanding changes in emergency facility use during such events is crucial for healthcare planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate differences in consultation appropriateness and patient demographics at a hospital emergency facility during a physicians strike.
- To compare emergency facility usage during a strike period with a non-strike control period.
Main Methods:
- An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted comparing 8964 patients during a 1995 physicians strike with 8024 patients from the same period in 1994.
- Demographic variables, mode of arrival, and patient outcomes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Daily patient averages increased significantly during the strike (169.13 vs. 151.39, p < 0.001).
- Patient demographics (age, gender) and presentation methods (self-referred, no ambulance) were similar between strike and control periods.
- Home discharge rates (85.35% vs. 83.81%) and admission rates (13.1% vs. 14.15%) showed no significant differences explained by the strike.
Conclusions:
- The study found no significant differences in hospital emergency facility use characteristics attributable to the physicians strike.
- Healthcare-seeking behaviors and outcomes remained consistent despite the strike.
Background:
To assess the differences in appropriateness of consultations and demographic outline of people attended in a hospital emergency facility (HEP) along the hospital physicians strike period in spring 1995.
Methods:
Observational cross-sectional study in Health Area 1 in the province of Badajoz. 8964 patients assisted along the strike period were compared with 8024 attended in the same period of 1994 (no strike).
Results:
The patients average was 169.13 (SD 27.35) a day in the strike period, during the control period this mean was 151.39 (SD 19.78) patients a day (p < 0.001). Demographic variables of patients were similar in both groups, with similar mean ages and gender proportion in all age and residence site groups. Most of patients went to the HEF self-promoted (70.1% and 65.8%) and without ambulance (92% and 90.8%) in both periods (strike and control). The outcome of medical care was home discharge in 85.35% during the strike period and 83.81% in the control period, with admission rates of 13.1% and 14.15% (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
There are no significant differences in the HEF use features completely explained by the physicians strike.