Emergency Patients Visiting University Hospital

Abstract

We place a doctor on duty 24 hours a day. Our hospital is in the third group of hospitals, which are the highest ranked emergency medical institutions, supplying emergency medical services ranging from the first to the third level. However, only a few third aid patients are conveyed to our hospital. We performed a clinical, statistical review of 2,737 cases referred to our department between January and December, 2007. Their age range was from 0 to 95 years (average age: 21 years) and the proportion of males to females was 1.25 to 1. Many patients were referred to or visited our department in December and January at the end and beginning of the year and in May at ‘Golden Week’ holidays. Half of the patients were children from 0 to 9 years (51.6%). Cases of acute otitis media decreased in summer, but these cases exhibited the highest prevalence almost throughout the year. Cases of epistaxis increased in winter and a foreign body increased in summer. The number of vertiginous patients had no change throughout the year. Cases of acute otitis media generally occurred in children, and cases of epistaxis were specifically diagnosed in the elderly. Inflammatory diseases such as tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess developed predominantly in patients in their 20’s. Ninety percent of the patients having visited our department took medical advice from a nearby doctor or were discharged home. Those patients who were referred to our department on a continually consistent basis comprised 7.8% and those who were admitted in an emergency comprised only 3.1%. Their most frequent diagnoses were inflammatory diseases.