Outbreak of XXXX O157:H7 hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome: effect on use of a pediatric emergency department.

@entity1 @entity344 @entity1960 @entity2613 @entity526
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an outbreak of @entity526 O157:H7 @entity1960 , and media coverage of the outbreak, on use of an emergency department. DESIGN: Review of pediatric @entity2613 use and charges for @entity344 during the epidemic and during a control period. SETTING: Pediatric @entity2613 in Seattle, Washington. @entity1 : All @entity1 seen in the @entity2613 with a @entity344 during the epidemic period (January and February 1993) and during a control period (January and February 1992). RESULTS: During the epidemic, 31 @entity1 with @entity526 O157:H7 infection had 45 visits to the @entity2613 . The number of visits for @entity344 not caused by @entity526 O157:H7 was 103% higher in the epidemic period than in the control period (653 in 1992, 1,327 in 1993). The number of visits was closely associated with the number of newspaper stories about @entity526 O157:H7 illness (correlation coefficient, .88; P = .002). The increased number of evaluations for @entity344 not caused by @entity526 O157:H7 infection during the epidemic period was associated with an additional  101,193 in charges per month compared with the control period. There were no important differences in the evaluation of @entity344 between 1992 and 1993 except for an increase in the proportion of @entity1 with stool cultures (13.1% versus 26.4%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: For every visit by a @entity1 with @entity526 O157:H7 infection, there were 15 additional visits (above the baseline from the control period) by @entity1 with other @entity344 . The true cost of this epidemic included not only the evaluation of @entity1 with disease but also the evaluation of those who presented because they were worried they had the disease. The intensity of media coverage of a disaster may correlate with the number of visits to the @entity2613 , and understanding of this fact may help in disaster planning.
