Abstract
Objectives:This study aimed to describe inpatient clinical conditions at an advanced care facility in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj pilgrimage and to determine factors correlating with length of stay (LOS).Methods:This retrospective study was conducted at the King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and included all inpatients admitted during the annual Hajj pilgrimage between August and October 2015. Demographic, administrative and clinical data were collected from patient charts and analysed.Results:A total of 296 inpatients were included in the study, of which the majority were male (73.6%) and ≥55 years old (77%). Walk-in admissions occurred less frequently than referrals (38.9% versus 61.1%). Most patients (41.6%) were admitted during the peak Hajj period (the 8-13th days of Dhu al-Hijjah). Acute coronary syndrome was the most prevalent provisional diagnosis (65.2%). In terms of outcomes, 89.2% of the inpatients were discharged in a stable condition, with 37.5% discharged within ≤24 hours of admission. However, 39.9% required admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Overall, LOS was significantly associated with various factors, including the mode of admission, admission period, admitting department, number of comorbidities and ICU admission (P <0.050 each).Conclusion:Most of admissions were referrals, and the main Hajj period witnessed the majority of admissions. The vast majority of inpatients eventually discharged in a stable condition. Determinants of the length of hospital stay were the mode of admission, admission period, admitting department, number of comorbidities and ICU admission.
Highlights
The annual Hajj pilgrimage is a compulsory requirement for members of the Islamic faith who are physically and financially able to make the Correspondence: June 25, 2018 July 11, 2018 July 18, 2018 journey; it involves travelling to Makkah, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the last month of the Hijri calendar.[1,2] Some pilgrims arrive in Makkah nearly one month before the central rituals of Hajj, which begin officially on the 8–13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, and often stay for another month after the pilgrimage ends
Inpatients were categorised according to mode of admission as either walk-ins or referrals
A total of 306 inpatients were admitted to the King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) during the study period; 10 patients (3.3%) were excluded due to incomplete data
Summary
The annual Hajj pilgrimage is a compulsory requirement for members of the Islamic faith who are physically and financially able to make the Correspondence: June 25, 2018 July 11, 2018 July 18, 2018 journey; it involves travelling to Makkah, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the last month of the Hijri calendar.[1,2] Some pilgrims arrive in Makkah nearly one month before the central rituals of Hajj, which begin officially on the 8–13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, and often stay for another month after the pilgrimage ends. Pak J Med Sci July - August 2018 Vol 34 No 4 www.pjms.com.pk 781. The risk of heat exhaustion as well as the spread of communicable diseases is greatly increased during Hajj.[4,5,6] people with chronic diseases and the elderly are at greater risk of medical complications.[7,8,9,10] Common diagnoses among hospitalised pilgrims include cardiac conditions and respiratory infections such as pneumonia.[7,10,11] In addition, inpatients frequently suffer from comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac conditions and chronic lung diseases.[10,11,12,13]
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