Work

Medical countermeasures during public health emergencies—Does information sharing among health system coalition help?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Challenged by constrained healthcare resources, hospitals encounter barriers to accommodating patient demand during public health emergencies. Building on a comprehensive literature review of information and knowledge exchange in healthcare, disaster management, and humanitarian operations management, this study explores the influence of treatment‐based medical countermeasures (T‐MCM) on ICU bed utilization during the Covid‐19 pandemic, investigating whether participation in a regional health registry (HReg) facilitates better management of care capacities. We use a difference‐in‐differences approach with propensity score weighting to analyze a panel dataset of 735 observations from Michigan hospitals, finding that health systems that used T‐MCMs experienced modest reductions of 1.8% of ICU bed utilization. However, the reduction increased by an additional 27.1% among hospitals that participated in the HReg. Hospitals that used T‐MCMs without HReg participation experienced a 10.8% increase in ICU bed utilization, suggesting resource overload. These results underscore the importance of adaptive learning and strategic investment in information‐sharing infrastructures to optimize healthcare delivery during crises. We discuss theoretical, managerial, and policy implications when managing healthcare capacity during pandemics.

Source: Decision Sciences

DOI: 10.1111/deci.70007

Authors: Sukrit Pal, Anand Nair

Institutions: Iowa State University, Northeastern University

Language: English

Topic: Disaster Response and Management

Subfield: Emergency Medical Services

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,090