Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction: Influenza’s impact on health and health care is underestimated by influenza diagnoses recorded in health-care databases. We aimed to estimate total and non-admitted influenza-attributable hospital Emergency Department (ED) demand in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods: We used g...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Western Pacific Surveillance and Response |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/547/778 |
| _version_ | 1818455269694242816 |
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| author | David J Muscatello Kendall J Bein Michael M Dinh |
| author_facet | David J Muscatello Kendall J Bein Michael M Dinh |
| author_sort | David J Muscatello |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Influenza’s impact on health and health care is underestimated by influenza diagnoses recorded in health-care databases. We aimed to estimate total and non-admitted influenza-attributable hospital Emergency Department (ED) demand in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Methods: We used generalized additive time series models to estimate the association between weekly counts of laboratory-confirmed influenza infections and weekly rates of total and non-admitted respiratory, infection, cardiovascular and all-cause ED visits in NSW, Australia for the period 2010 through 2014. Visit categories were based on the coded ED diagnosis or the free-text presenting problem if no diagnosis was recorded.
Results: The estimated all-age, annual influenza-attributable respiratory, infection, cardiovascular and all-cause visit rates/100 000 population/year were, respectively, 120.6 (99.9% confidence interval [CI] 102.3 to 138.8), 79.7 (99.9% CI: 70.6 to 88.9), 14.0 (99.9% CI: 6.8 to 21.3) and 309.0 (99.9% CI: 208.0 to 410.1). Among respiratory visits, influenza-attributable rates were highest among < 5-year-olds and ≥ 85-year-olds. For infection and all-cause visits, rates were highest among children; cardiovascular rates did not vary significantly by age. Annual rates varied substantially by year and age group, and statistically significant associations were absent in several years or age groups. Of the respiratory visits, 73.4% did not require admission. The non-admitted proportion was higher for the other clinical categories. Around 1 in 100 total visits and more than 1 in 10 respiratory or infection visits were associated with influenza.
Discussion: Influenza is associated with a substantial and annually varying burden of hospital-attended illness in NSW. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:08:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a3c112d75e594efabc5f38a45ad546eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2094-7321 2094-7313 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:08:06Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Western Pacific Surveillance and Response |
| spelling | doaj.art-a3c112d75e594efabc5f38a45ad546eb2022-12-21T22:45:50ZengWorld Health Organization Regional Office for the Western PacificWestern Pacific Surveillance and Response2094-73212094-73132017-09-0183112010.5365/wpsar.2017.8.2.002Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, AustraliaDavid J Muscatello0Kendall J Bein1Michael M Dinh2School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, AustraliaEmergency Department, Royal Prince Alfred HospitalEmergency Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Discipline of Emergency Medicine, The University of SydneyIntroduction: Influenza’s impact on health and health care is underestimated by influenza diagnoses recorded in health-care databases. We aimed to estimate total and non-admitted influenza-attributable hospital Emergency Department (ED) demand in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods: We used generalized additive time series models to estimate the association between weekly counts of laboratory-confirmed influenza infections and weekly rates of total and non-admitted respiratory, infection, cardiovascular and all-cause ED visits in NSW, Australia for the period 2010 through 2014. Visit categories were based on the coded ED diagnosis or the free-text presenting problem if no diagnosis was recorded. Results: The estimated all-age, annual influenza-attributable respiratory, infection, cardiovascular and all-cause visit rates/100 000 population/year were, respectively, 120.6 (99.9% confidence interval [CI] 102.3 to 138.8), 79.7 (99.9% CI: 70.6 to 88.9), 14.0 (99.9% CI: 6.8 to 21.3) and 309.0 (99.9% CI: 208.0 to 410.1). Among respiratory visits, influenza-attributable rates were highest among < 5-year-olds and ≥ 85-year-olds. For infection and all-cause visits, rates were highest among children; cardiovascular rates did not vary significantly by age. Annual rates varied substantially by year and age group, and statistically significant associations were absent in several years or age groups. Of the respiratory visits, 73.4% did not require admission. The non-admitted proportion was higher for the other clinical categories. Around 1 in 100 total visits and more than 1 in 10 respiratory or infection visits were associated with influenza. Discussion: Influenza is associated with a substantial and annually varying burden of hospital-attended illness in NSW.http://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/547/778Human influenzaEmergency Department demand |
| spellingShingle | David J Muscatello Kendall J Bein Michael M Dinh Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Human influenza Emergency Department demand |
| title | Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia |
| title_full | Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia |
| title_fullStr | Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia |
| title_short | Emergency Department demand associated with seasonal influenza, 2010 through 2014, New South Wales, Australia |
| title_sort | emergency department demand associated with seasonal influenza 2010 through 2014 new south wales australia |
| topic | Human influenza Emergency Department demand |
| url | http://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/547/778 |
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