The impact of media on surge capacity in emergency departments: a study on rabies vaccination uptake

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the influence of media coverage on rabies vaccination practices and emergency department (ED) visits in Turkey, a country characterized by a substantial volume of patient admissions to EDs. Additionally, the study examines the impact of media-driven public concern on ED surge capacity, highlighting the challenges emergency physicians face in managing sudden patient influxes.MethodsThis retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at a single center. To assess the influence of media on vaccination practices in EDs and its effect on ED surge capacity, the Causal Impact package and interrupted time-series analysis using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling were employed.ResultsA total of 27,293 rabies vaccinations were administered at the study center within one year, with distribution as follows: 37.3% for the first dose, 33.4% for the second dose, and 29.2% for the third dose. Following rabies-related news, there was an average increase in the daily number of administered doses. The applied model indicated variances of 41.8%, 39.4%, and 38.5% for the respective doses, corresponding to daily increases of 7.73, 10.25, and 9.07 vaccinations. In the absence of rabies news, the expected daily doses would have been approximately 29 +/- 1.7, 27 +/- 1.4, and 24 +/- 1.4, respectively. Rabies-related news resulted in absolute effects of 11 +/- 1.7, 9 +/- 1.4, and 9 +/- 1.4 vaccinations and relative effects of 38 +/- 8%, 35 +/- 7.3%, and 38 +/- 8.5% for the first, second, and third doses, respectively.ConclusionThe presence of a rabies-related news story, coupled with an increase in rabies-related Google searches, was associated with a significant rise in rabies vaccinations administered in EDs. Media coverage of attention-captivating events can contribute to increased ED visits. Media plays a significant role in influencing ED utilization.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.