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A Comparison of Summer and Winter Emergency Hospitalisations in Ireland
- Source :
-
Irish medical journal [Ir Med J] 2019 May 09; Vol. 112 (5), pp. 935. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 May 09. - Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- There is increasing demand on the Irish health service, particularly in winter months. This study described and compared acute hospitals admissions across summer and winter periods from 2015 to 2018. The analysis used Hospital In-Patient Enquiry data accessed through the National Quality Assurance Information System – NQAIS Clinical. There were 84 additional emergency hospitalisations in winter per week compared with summer (1.2% increase). Across diagnostic categories, emergency hospitalisations reduced in winter, except respiratory conditions which increased by 379 per week representing a 40.5% increase. The profile of emergency respiratory admissions were similar in summer and winter in terms of age, length of stay, day of week and medical card status. Length of stay was approximately one day longer for weekend admissions in both seasons. This research highlights the importance of taking a whole-population approach to winter resilience planning, focussing on prevention and optimal management of respiratory conditions.<br />Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Emergency Medical Services statistics & numerical data
Female
Humans
Ireland epidemiology
Length of Stay statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Respiratory Tract Diseases epidemiology
Respiratory Tract Diseases therapy
Young Adult
Emergencies epidemiology
Hospitalization statistics & numerical data
Seasons
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0332-3102
- Volume :
- 112
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Irish medical journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 31411017