Open AccessUtilization of health services for skin disorders during military operations. A population- based study
Author(s) -
Amir Horev,
Shanny Edan-Reuven,
Ron Eshel,
Leovack
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
dermatology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.183
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2036-7406
pISSN - 2036-7392
DOI - 10.4081/dr.2020.8648
Subject(s) - medicine , military personnel , missile , environmental health , population , military health , military medicine , medical evacuation , medical emergency , military service , health care , law , aerospace engineering , political science , engineering
In addition to the immediate casualties of armed conflicts, their indirect impact may bring even more damage by causing malfunctioning of health systems and impaired access to diagnosis and treatment. We conducted a population-based study, to assess the utilization rates of health services due to skin disorders, among civilians exposed to missile attacks and siren alarms during three military operations in Israel. The study was designed as a natural experiment, whereas periods of military operations were compared to the non-military times. During the military operations, when sirens and missiles were an everyday experience, the number of visits to dermatologists was 1.07-1.16 times lower [Relative Risk (RR)=0.86-0.92] as compared to the non-military periods, especially evident for patients residing closer to the military zone, where it dropped almost 2- folds (RR=0.52). Although perceived nonurgent in their majority, the routine care should not be delayed to prevent more serious skin conditions.