ArticlePloS one2020
Long-term healthcare provider availability following large-scale hurricanes: A difference-in-differences study.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Variation in One-Year Mortality Following Severe Weather Exposure Among Older Americans by Chronic Health Condition and Sociodemographic Status.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Understanding inequitable health care: methodological approaches, challenges, and opportunities.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Healthcare Access in the Aftermath: A Longitudinal Analysis of Disaster Impact on US Communities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- A Difference-In Difference Analysis of the South Carolina 2015 Extreme Floods and the Association with Maternal Health.International journal of disaster risk reduction : IJDRR · 2023Article
- Trends in Routine Checkup Within the Past Year Following a Hurricane.Disaster medicine and public health preparedness · 2023Article
- Cascading disasters and mental health: The February 2021 winter storm and power crisis in Texas, USA.The Science of the total environment · 2023Article
- Barriers and Opportunities for the MCH Workforce to Support Hurricane Preparedness, Response, and Recovery in Florida.Maternal and child health journal · 2022Article
- "Helping fill that gap:" a qualitative study of aging in place after disaster through the lens of home-based care providers.BMC geriatrics · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHurricanes Katrina and Sandy were two of the most significant disasters of the 21st century that critically impacted communities and the health of their residents. Despite the assumption that disasters affect access to healthcare, to our knowledge prior studies have not rigorously examined availability of healthcare providers following disasters.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to examine availability of healthcare providers following large-scale hurricanes.
methodsUsing historical data on healthcare providers from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System and county-level population characteristics, we conducted a quasi-experimental study to examine the effect of large-scale hurricanes on healthcare provider availability in the short-term and long-term. We separately examined availability of primary care physicians, medical specialists, surgeons, and nurse practitioners. A difference-in-differences analysis was used to control for time variant factors comparing county-level health care provider availability in affected and unaffected counties the year before Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, to five years after each storm.
resultsCounties affected by Hurricane Katrina compared to unaffected locales experienced a decrease of 3.59 primary care physicians per 10,000 population (95% CI: -6.5, -0.7), medical specialists (decrease of 5.9 providers per 10,000 (95% CI: -11.3, -0.5)), and surgeons (decrease of 2.1 (95% CI: -3.8, -0.37)). However, availability of nurse practitioners did not change appreciably. Counties affected by Hurricane Sandy exhibited less pronounced changes. Changes in availability of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, medical specialists, and surgeons were not statistically significant.
conclusionLarge-scale hurricanes appear to affect availability of healthcare providers for up to several years following impact of the storm. Effects vary depending on the characteristics of the community. Primary care physicians and medical specialists availability was the most impacted, potentially having long-term implications for population health in the context of disaster recovery.
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