Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies reported that changes in weather and phases of moon are associated with medical emergencies and injuries. However, such studies were limited to hospital or community level without explaining the combined effects of weather and moon phases. We investigated whether changes in weather and moon phases affected emergency department (ED) visits due to fall injuries (FIs) based on nationwide emergency patient registry data.MethodsNationwide daily data of ED visits after FI were collected from 11 provinces (7 metropolitan cities and 4 rural provinces) in Korea between January 2014 and December 2018. The daily number of FIs was standardized into FI per million population (FPP) in each province. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to elucidate the relationship between weather factors and moon phases with respect to daily FPP in each province. The correlation between weather factors and FI severity was also analyzed.ResultsThe study analyzed 666,912 patients (418,135 in metropolitan and 248,777 in rural areas) who visited EDs on weekdays. No regional difference was found in age or gender distribution between the two areas. Precipitation, minimum temperature and wind speed showed a significant association with FI in metropolitan areas. In addition, sunshine duration was also substantial risk factors for FI in rural areas. The incidence of FIs was increased on full moon days than on other days in rural areas. Injury severity was associated with weather factors such as minimum temperature, wind speed, and cloud cover.ConclusionWeather changes such as precipitation, minimum temperature, and wind speed are associated with FI in metropolitan and rural areas. In addition, sunshine duration and full moon are significantly associated with FI incidence only in rural areas. Weather factors are associated with FI severity.
Highlights
Accurate prediction of the need for emergency medical care is critical to provide appropriate services for patients with injuries
Precipitation, minimum temperature and wind speed showed a significant association with Fall injury (FI) in metropolitan areas
Effects of weather and moon phases on EM use Weather changes such as precipitation, minimum temperature, and wind speed are associated with FI in metropolitan and rural areas
Summary
Accurate prediction of the need for emergency medical care is critical to provide appropriate services for patients with injuries. Many countries have an emergency medical system data registry collected during pre-hospital and in-hospital phases to design emergency medical service (EMS) and implement public health monitoring and planning. Previous studies reported that changes in weather and phases of moon are associated with medical emergencies and injuries. Such studies were limited to hospital or community level without explaining the combined effects of weather and moon phases. We investigated whether changes in weather and moon phases affected emergency department (ED) visits due to fall injuries (FIs) based on nationwide emergency patient registry data
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