A Comparative Analysis of the Aspects and Costs of Emergency Department Visits of Syrian Refugees with Turkish People and Former Refugees (Afghan People)

Abstract

Aim: Compare the emergency department (ED) use characteristics of old and new refugees and the local people and to investigate whether it brings a different financial burden on the economy of the country.
 
 Materials and Methods: Syrian, Afghan, and Turkish patients who presented to the emergency department between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, were randomly assigned to groups of 1000 people. The data were analyzed retrospectively.
 
 Results: Syrian patients presented to the ED with simpler etiologies 1.573 times more (Triage 4-5) compared to Turkish patients (p=0.009). The rate of visits by females was higher in those with triage1-2-3 than those with triage 4-5 (p=0.001). There was no difference between during-working-hours or outside-working-hours visits of those with triage 1-2-3. The average per capita cost of Turkish patients was found to be 109.60±73.36 Turkish Liras (TL), while it was between 96.20±35.61 and 95.24±28.24 TL for Syrian and Afghan patients. No difference was found in terms of per capita costs between nationalities (p=0.766).
 
 Conclusion: Refugees should be trained about the health system after they are admitted to the country, health literacy training programs should be planned for individuals in society from a young age, primary healthcare services should be used more effectively.