Disease and non-battle injury rates for Navy enlisted personnel during peacetime.

Abstract

Abstract : Disease and Non-Battle Injury (DNBI) rates needed for medical planning were derived from the hospital admissions records and outpatient visits of U.S. Navy enlisted personnel. Hospital admissions of personnel from 290 U.S. Navy ships and 983 shore stations for the years 1980 through 1984 were examined. Records of outpatients requiring bed rest were collected from 12 U.S. Navy ships and three shore facilities. DNBI rates were computed from these data for forces afloat and forces ashore in Northeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Europe. In addition, DNBI rates were computed for hospital admissions of personnel stationed in the Continental United States. Hospital Admission rates ranged between 0.125 and 0.412 admissions per 1000 persons per day. Mental Disorders, Diseases of the Digestive System, and Accidents, Poisonings and Violence accounted for the greatest number of hospitalizations of shipboard personnel. Although results were mixed for shore facilities, Mental Disorders continued to account for a large proportion of the hospitalizations. Overall, DNBI rates were higher for outpatients requiring bed rest than patients admitted to a hospital. The categories that contributed most to the outpatient DNBI rates were Respiratory Illness, Diseases of the Digestive System, and Infective and Parasitic Diseases. Although these results reflect DNBI rates under peacetime conditions, it was concluded that these data may be useful in developing projections for wartime operations.