Citation

Mangano J, Middleton B, Wojcik S. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2024; 18: e70.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2024.40

PMID

38618877

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) in an inner-city emergency department during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS: Data were abstracted from individual emergency department encounters over 6 weeks. The study compared left without being seen (LWBS) percentage, door-to-provider, and door-to-disposition times for 2 weeks before, during, and after the DMAT.

RESULTS: The LWBS percentages for the 2 weeks before and after the DMAT were 16.2% and 11.6%, respectively. The LWBS percentage during the DMAT was 8.1%. Door-to-disposition times for the 2 weeks before and after the DMAT were 7.36 hours and 8.53 hours, respectively. The door-to-disposition during the DMAT was 7.33 hours. Door-to-disposition was statistically significant during the 2 weeks of the DMAT compared to the 2 weeks after the DMAT (7.33 vs 8.53, P < 0.05) but not statistically significant when compared to the period before the DMAT (7.36 vs 7.33, P = 1.00). Door-to-provider time was the longest during the DMAT (122.5 minutes [2.04 hours]) when compared to the time frame before the DMAT (114.54 minutes [1.91 hours]) and after the DMAT (102.84 minutes [1.71 hours]).

CONCLUSION: The DMAT had the most positive impact on LWBS percentages. The DMAT showed no improvement in door-to-provider times in the study and only in door-to-disposition times when comparing the time the DMAT was present to after the DMAT departed.

Language: en

Keywords

*COVID-19/epidemiology; *Disasters; Disaster Medicine; Emergency medicine; Emergency Responders; Emergency Service, Hospital; Humans; Medical Assistance; Pandemics