Hospitalization for ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions in Taiwan following the SARS outbreak: A population-based interrupted time series study

Background/Purpose: In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulted in 8096 probable cases and 774 deaths in 26 countries. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of the SARS outbreak on hospitalization for chronic ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in Taiwan. Methods: We applied a population-based interrupted time series study design and used the time series auto-regressive integrated moving-average model to compare the actual and predicted admission rates of seven selected chronic ACSCs. The analyses were based on National Health Insurance hospital inpatient claims data from 1997 to 2003. Results: The impact of SARS on ACSCs after the outbreak varied among seven selected chronic conditions. Hospitalization for respiratory conditions was significantly lower than the predicted values, whereas hospitalization for diabetes was significantly higher than the predicted values after the outbreak. Conclusion: Admission rates for most ACSCs, except for diabetes, did not change in the post-SARS period. The reductions in outpatient utilization during the SARS outbreak did not appear to affect adversely admissions for most ACSCs.