Assessing Patient Demographics and Emergency Response Adaptation in a Primary-Level State Hospital Following the 6 February Türkiye Earthquakes

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 238 - 248, 31.12.2023

Suat Batar , Mehmet Talha Aydın , Mehmet Berke Yuşan , Savaş Çamur , Mehmet Salih Soylemez

https://doi.org/10.30565/medalanya.1391661

Abstract

Aim: On 6 February 2023, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8, 6.6, and 7.6 struck the south-eastern region of Türkiye within a span of 10 hours, starting from 04:00 am. These earthquakes resulted in a devastating loss of life, with casualties exceeding 50,000 across 10 provinces. The destruction caused by these earthquakes was widespread with the collapse of many buildings, including hospitals. This study aimed to assess the patient demographics and emergency response adaptation in a primary-level state hospital following the 6 February Türkiye earthquakes.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the Reyhanlı State Hospital, which remained largely unaffected by the earthquakes. The hospital faced challenges in providing medical care due to the loss of staff, damaged infrastructure, and limited resources. A volunteer orthopaedic surgery team, along with other medical professionals, provided treatment to the earthquake victims. The patient data was collected from the conventional record book of the operating room.

Results: From 6 to 12 February 2023, a total of 111 surgeries were performed at the hospital, with 92 (%83) being earthquake-related. Orthopaedic surgeons operated on most of the patients. The most common surgeries included fasciotomies, amputations, and fracture fixations. The surgeries were performed in a time-sensitive manner, with immediate life- and extremity-saving procedures prioritized. The hospital's infrastructure challenges and the lack of digital recording systems hampered the data collection process.

Conclusion: The study highlights challenges faced by a primary-level Hospital during the earthquakes. Our indings stress the importance of preparedness, infrastructure, and efficient patient records for effective emergency healthcare during natural disasters. Lessons learned can aid future plans for better emergency medical care in earthquake-prone regions.

Keywords

Earthquake, patient demographics, infrastructure challenges, medical records, emergency adaptation

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and received Ethical approval from the Umraniye Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee. (ID: B.10.1.TKH.4.34.H.GP.0.01/119).

6 Şubat Türkiye Depreminde Bir İkinci Basamak Devlet Hastanesindeki Hasta Demografisinin ve Acil Müdahale Uyumunun Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Amaç: 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde, 04:00'ten itibaren 7.8, 6.6 ve 7.6 büyüklüğünde bir dizi deprem, Türkiye'nin güneydoğu bölgesini 10 saat içerisinde etkiledi. Bu depremler, 10 ilde 50.000'i aşkın can kaybına neden olan yıkıcı bir tabloya yol açtı. Hastaneler de dahil olmak üzere birçok binanın çökmesiyle beraber bu depremlerin yol açtığı yıkım oldukça geniş kapsamlıydı. Bu çalışmada, 6 Şubat Türkiye depremi sonrasında ikinci basamak bir devlet hastanesinde hasta demografik özellikleri ve acil müdahale uyumunun değerlendirilmesi amaçlandı.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışma depremden ağır düzeyde etkilenmeyen Reyhanlı Devlet Hastanesi'nde gerçekleştirildi. Hastane, personel kaybı, hasarlı altyapı ve sınırlı kaynaklar nedeniyle sağlık hizmeti sunumunda zorluklarla karşı karşıya kaldı. Gönüllü bir ortopedi ekibi, diğer branş hekimleriyle birlikte depremzedelerin tedavisinde görev aldı. Hasta verileri ameliyathanenin kayıt defterinden elde edildi.

Bulgular: 6-12 Şubat 2023 tarihleri arasında ilgili hastanede 92'si (%83) depremle ilgili olmak üzere toplam 111 ameliyat gerçekleştirildi. Hastaların çoğu ortopedistler tarafından ameliyat edildi. En sık uygulanan cerrahi işlemler fasyotomiler, amputasyonlar ve kırık tespitlerinden oluşmaktaydı. Ameliyatlar hızlı bir şekilde, acil hayat ve ekstremite kurtarma prosedürlerine öncelik verilerek gerçekleştirildi. Hastanenin altyapı zorlukları ve dijital kayıt sistemlerinin olmayışı veri toplama işlemlerini zorlaştırdı.

Sonuç: Çalışmamız, depremler sırasında birinci düzey bir hastanede karşılaşılan zorlukları ortaya koymuştur. Bulgularımız, doğal afetler sırasında etkili ve verimli acil sağlık hizmeti için hazırlıklı olmanın, altyapının ve tıbbi kayıtların önemini vurgulamaktadır. Elde edilen veriler, deprem riski taşıyan bölgelerdeki acil tıbbi hizmetlerin iyileştirilmesi için gelecekteki planlara yardımcı olabilir.

Keywords

Deprem, hasta demografisi, altyapı sorunları, tıbbi kayıtlar, acil duruma uyum

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