Demographic Characteristics of Patients Admitted to Private Hospital Emergency Service

Abstract

Aim: Increasing the productivity of emergency services is only possible with the documentation and analysis of data on services provided. In this study, we aimed to evaluate demographic characteristics of patients admitted to the emergency unit using a computer-based patient registry system. Materials and Methods: 33,886 outpatients admitted to the emergency unit between 01.09.2017 and 31.08.2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics of the patients, main complaints, time of admission, triage classification, and International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes were evaluated. Results: Among outpatients admitted to the emergency unit, 58% were males and 42% were females. A total of 43% outpatients were 0-12 months of age, 21% were 1-5 years of age, 15% were 28-39 years of age, and 9% were 40-64 years of age. In total, 39% outpatients were admitted to the emergency unit due to upper respiratory tract diseases. Of the patients, 95,42% were treated in the outpatient setting. The highest admission rates were in December and January. The highest admission rate was on Sunday, while the least was on Wednesday and Thursday. The highest admission time period was between 20:00–00:00, while the least was between 04:00–08:00. Conclusion: Our study results show that supportive measures for healthcare professionals including specialists and medical equipment should be provided, in particular between 20:00–00:00, at the weekends, and in winter seasons, when the overall admission rate increases. Based on these results, we suggest that documentation and analysis of demographic data of patients admitted to the emergency unit can contribute to physical and labor force planning of emergency units.