Abstract
ObjectiveThere is an increase in Emergency Department (ED) utilization globally. Understanding what patients present to EDs with is important for resource allocation, training and staffing purposes. There is paucity of data pertaining to ED visit presentations in Lebanon. This study aims at describing the spectrum of diseases among adult patients who present to a tertiary care center in Lebanon, an upper-middle income country (UMIC).MethodsA retrospective chart review of adult patients (age ≥ 19) presenting to a tertiary care hospital ED during 2010–2011 was completed. Common diagnoses in three categories (all adult visits, treat and release, admitted visits) were assessed. Diagnoses were classified according to the Clinical Classifications Software. Descriptive statistics were presented in tables as frequencies and percentages.ResultsDuring the study period, 32787 adults presented to the ED with 18.7% resulting in hospital admission. The most common diagnoses in ED patients were injuries and conditions due to external causes, abdominal pain, non-specific chest pain and intestinal infections. In the treat and release group, intestinal infections emerged in the common list for ages 19–44. Coronary atherosclerosis was common in admitted patients aged ≥45 years. Summer was the busiest season, with abdominal pain and intestinal infection being prominent diagnoses during that season.ConclusionsThis study is the first to assess adult ED visits in a Lebanese setting. Our study suggests that patients in our population suffer from the double burden of both communicable and non-communicable disease, with coronary atherosclerosis common in admitted patients (≥ 45 years) and intestinal infections common in treat and release adult patients (19-44years), the latter condition peaking in summer and driving seasonal surges in ED visits.
Highlights
There is a substantial increase in emergency department (ED) visit rates globally [1]
Our study suggests that patients in our population suffer from the double burden of both communicable and noncommunicable disease, with coronary atherosclerosis common in admitted patients ( 45 years) and intestinal infections common in treat and release adult patients (19-44years), the latter condition peaking in summer and driving seasonal surges in ED visits
This study aims to describe the spectrum of diseases among the adult population that presents to a tertiary care center in Lebanon, an upper-middle income country (UMIC)
Summary
In Australia, there is a reported 3.5% yearly surge in visits at several training-accredited EDs, while Canadian EDs have witnessed nearly 12 million visits annually, with a latest rise in the utilization rate by 6% in Ontario [1]. This is not different than the European region where multiple countries have observed increasing ED utilization[1]. This rise in ED visits has been documented in the developing world including Iran, Saudi Arabia and India [1]. Understanding the types of presentation, acuity, and admission rates is important for resource utilization, health care planning and training purposes
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