Impact of Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak on the use of emergency medical resources in febrile patients

Jeong, Hyunho; Jeong, Sikyoung; Oh, Juseok; Woo, Seon Hee; So, Byung Hak; Wee, Jeong Hee; Kim, Ji Hoon; Im, Ji Yong; Choi, Seung Pill; Park, Kyoungnam; Cho, Byul Nim Hee; Hong, Sungyoup

This study found an increase in the total number of patients attending the ED with febrile symptoms, after an outbreak of a transmittable respiratory disease. There was an increase in the average age within the age under 5 years group and a decrease in the average age within the age over 5 clinical data of febrile patients after the outbreak of MERS with data of patients who visited the ED over the preceding three years. The specific hypotheses were that (1) the use of emergency resources increased among specific age groups after the outbreak, (2) the length of ED stay and clinical evaluation were affected by the outbreak of MERS, and (3) clinical outcomes, such as admission rates, and mortality or morbidity rates, were changed after the outbreak. The final objectives of this study were to estimate the rate of ED visits attributable to the outbreak of the transmittable respiratory disease and to guide the planning of strategies to manage the ED during or after the outbreak of transmittable respiratory diseases.