How Appropriate are The Emergency Department Admissions? A Study From a Tertiary Hospital Emergency Department
Hakan Hakkoymaz1, Ramazan Azim Okyay21Department of Emergency Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras, Turkey, 2Department of Public Health, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
Objectives: Healthcare provided in the emergency department (ED) should be nonstop and every patient should be evaluated carefully. This makes EDs open to inappropriate admissions. The improper use of ED is frequent and leads to negative consequences on both patients and the healthcare system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of inappropriate ED admissions in a tertiary hospital and to investigate the underlying factors associated with inappropriate ED admissions. Methods: Patients admitted to ED between November 19 and December 2 were evaluated according to the color triage coding and the patient socio-demographic characteristics, complaints and the reason for ED admissions were assessed. Results: Of the 4847 admissions, 34.9% (n=1695) were found to be inappropriate. The factors that significantly and independently affect inappropriate ED admissions were found to be age <45 years (OR=1.629), male gender (OR=1.467), single or divorced status (OR=1.303), education level of university or higher (OR=1.312), and admission during work hours (OR=1.309). Conclusion: Inappropriate admission to the ED is quite common. The most crucial measure to be taken in this regard is to strengthen primary healthcare services. Keywords: Emergency departments, inappropriate admissions, sociodemographic factors, triage
Cite This Article
Hakkoymaz H, Okyay R. How Appropriate are The Emergency Department Admissions? A Study From a Tertiary Hospital Emergency Department. EJMI. 2020; 4(3): 353-359
Corresponding Author: Hakan Hakkoymaz