Earthquake Victim Profile in a Hospital Far from the Earthquake Zone: The Case of Sakarya

OpenAlex İngilizce

Objective: In our study, the effect of earthquake victims who applied to the emergency department (ED) of our hospital, despite being far from the earthquake area, on the workload and the need for additional precautions will be examined. As a result, it is aimed to create a guiding resource for future disasters. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted with patients who applied to Sakarya Training and Research Hospital (STRH) Emergency Department within 15 days after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and were diagnosed as X34-Earthquake Victims according to ICD-10. Results: The mean age of the 405 patients were 20.98 years, and 52.6% were female. The ratio of the admitted patients to the total number of patients was 1.62%. Regarding resource use, the laboratory was requested for 32.3%, imaging examination for 55.1%, consultation for 19%, and 353 patients were discharged from the emergency department. Conclusions: Although earthquake victims may apply to the emergency departments regardless of the distance after the earthquake, this number is insufficient to require additional measures regarding the workload it creates. However, since this study is the first analysis based on distance, it should be supported by similar studies.