Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Comparing Primary Health-Care Service Delivery Disruptions Across Disasters.

Radcliff TA, Chu K, Der-Martirosian C, Dobalian A. Comparing Primary Health-Care Service Delivery Disruptions Across Disasters. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness. 2022 Oct 1; 16(5):1802-1805.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare primary care appointment disruptions around Hurricanes Ike (2008) and Harvey (2017) and identify patterns that indicate differing continuity of primary care or care systems across events. METHODS: Primary care appointment records covering 5 wk before and after each storm were identified for Veterans Health Affairs (VA) facilities in the greater Houston and surrounding areas and a comparison group of VA facilities located elsewhere. Appointment disposition percentages were compared within and across storm events to assess care disruptions. RESULTS: For Hurricane Harvey, 14% of primary care appointments were completed during the week of landfall (vs 33% for Hurricane Ike and 69% in comparison clinics), and 49% were completed the following week (vs 58% for Hurricane Ike and 71% for comparison clinics). By the second week after Hurricane Ike and third week after Harvey, the scheduled appointment completion percentage returned to prestorm levels of approximately 60%. CONCLUSIONS: There were greater and more persistent care disruptions for Hurricane Harvey relative to Hurricane Ike. As catastrophic emergencies including major natural disasters and infectious disease pandemics become a more recognized threat to primary and preventive care delivery, health-care systems should consider implementing strategies to monitor and ensure primary care appointment continuity.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.