TITLE:
Hospital Utilization and the Respiratory Disease Season
AUTHORS:
Ronald Lagoe, Shelly Littau
KEYWORDS:
Respiratory Disease, Influenza Season, Hospitals, Hospital Utilization
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.9 No.1,
January
14,
2020
ABSTRACT: In the United States, the respiratory disease season has challenged providers to care for populations at the community level. This study reviewed the utilization of inpatient hospitals in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York during the most recent twelve-month periods. It focused on the onset and duration of respiratory disease utilization. The study evaluated this utilization by identifying numbers of hospital patients admitted with respiratory diseases to the combined Syracuse hospitals by month. By focusing on twelve-month periods for July-June of each year, it was possible to identify changes in hospital utilization for respiratory disease season. The study demonstrated that, during the five-year period, inpatient respiratory diseases were concentrated between January and March. The highest levels of respiratory disease occurred during January. The study also demonstrated that the onset of the respiratory disease season was rapid, demonstrated by increases in census levels and discharges between October-December and January-March. The study suggested that the highest demands for inpatient care in Syracuse increased by a community wide average of 15 to 20 patients during January. The data show that increased levels of respiratory diseases extended from January-March into April and May. This approach to the utilization of health care could be employed by other providers to address the onset and duration of respiratory disease at the community level.