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Annals of Disaster Medicine
| ISSN:1684-193X
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Updated
July 18, 2003
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Contents:
Volume 2, Number 1; July, 2003 |
| Evolution of the Hospital Capacity for SARS in Taipei |
| Tzong-Luen
Wang, MD, PhD; Kuo-Chih Chen, MD; I-Yin Lin, MD;
Chien-Chih Chen, MD; Chun-Chieh Chao, MD; Hang Chang, MD, PhD
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| Abstract
--To assess the medical severity index for a disaster, there are three
capacities that should be considered. They were medical rescue capacity
(MRC), medical transport capacity (MTC) and hospital response capacity
(HRC). We retrospectively analyzed the capacities of Taipei City and tried
to find the limiting factor for severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) before and after the endemics this year. On April 9 2003, the
available isolation beds were totally 128, whereas total number
of beds enrolled in Emergency Response Hospitals in Taipei City was 20,160.
In other words, the percentage of isolation beds was only 0.63%.
Ideal HRC for those hospitals should be 630 patients per hour that
was significantly higher than the real needs (0.38 cases per hour).
Because of the cumulative reported cases being 518 in northern area
and the consideration of case accumulation from April 10 to June
10, however, the hospitals could work within their capacities in
only 14 days. The total isolation facilities in Taipei cities were
630 beds (3.1%; P<0.01 v 0.63%) in July 2003 and accounted for
70 working days (P<0.01 v 14 days). In conclusion, the total
number of the isolation facilities instead of the HRC was the critical
factor that limited the SARS management.
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| Key words--- SARS; Isolation
Facilities; HRC; Emergency Medicine |
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