Analysis of Arrival Information and Status of the Patients in Emergency Department

Abstract

Background: For effective and systematic management of patients in the emergency department(ED), the data on patient arrival and status in ED of Yeungnam University Hospital were evaluated. Materials and Methods: During the seven days from Apr. 1 to Apr. 7, 1998, the general patient information such as onset time and place, factors associated with transportation, causes of admission, cared department and patient disposition were recorded. Results: Total of 464 patients visited the ED during the seven days, and the mean number of patients per day was 66.3. Male to female ratio was 1:0.71. Daily staying patients were 17.3, and 83.6 patients were cared totally each day. The methods of transportation and distribution of patients according to region and event were as follows: visit by walk(57.3%). transportation by car(58.0%), place of event in residence(85.3%), regional distribution in Taegu(81.5%), and direct visit(97.4%). Cause of admission due to diseases was 74.6%. The percentages of departments which cared the patients were internal medicine 26.6%, pediatrics 16.8%, orthopedics 8.6%, neurology 8.2%, neurosurgery 7.8% and other department including emergency medicine 8.2%, respectively. Patient dispositions were admission 38.4%, discharge 61.0% and death on arrival(DOA) 0.6%, but referred patient-to-another-hospital was zero. Conclusion: Improvements in several aspects of ED's caring system such as fast tracking system and reinforcement of disease and trauma caring system, would be helpful for effective management of emergency patients.