Review of the Patients Hospitalized from the Emergency Service and Applying to the Emergency Service: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Training Hospital
Aim: Emergency services are clinics in which patient presentations are incidental and patient admission is obligatory. Most patients presenting to emergency service are managed on an outpatient basis while a small minority are hospitalized. The aim of this study was to analyze patients presenting to the emergency service of an education hospital and being hospitalized.Material and Method: Our study was conducted in the emergency service of a tertiary care regional education and research hospital. A total of 156818 patients applying to emergency service between 01 January 2011 and 31 December 2011 were examined. Data of this retrospective and cross-sectional study were retrieved from patient files and automation system. Patients, whose cards and automation system are inconsistent, who denied examination, and children without trauma were excluded. Patients were assessed in terms of demographic features, presentation times, diagnoses, health insurance, admission and discharge rates, and admitting clinics. Results: A total of 156818 presentations took place. Among patients, 94.8% were treated on an outpatient basis and 4.1% were hospitalized. Ratio of males was 52,3% and the ratio of females was 47,7%.Mean age was 44,52 years. It was observed that the number of presentations were higher during the working hours, winter, whereas it was lower in summer; the most common diseases were cardiovascular emergencies and traumas. Greatest number of admissions was made by cardiology among internal clinics, by general surgery among surgical clinics, and anesthesia clinic among intensive care units. Discussion: Admitted patients comprised a very small minority of total presentations, and most of the presentations did not constitute an actual emergency and could be managed in primary care. Thus, it was concluded that emergency services are unnecessarily occupied and workload of healthcare staff is increased