Siddiqui Saima, Ogbeide Danny O
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Al-Kharj Military Hospital, PO Box 318, Al-Kharj 11942, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Med J. 2002 Jan;23(1):69-72.
Over utilization of emergency room services by patients with non-urgent complaints is a global problem. It results in a waste of resources, stress among the emergency room staff and an increase in waiting time for patients requiring attention. This study was carried out to establish the extent of inappropriate emergency room attendance in a Saudi community.
Data was collected from the emergency room register, regarding the age, sex, presenting complaints, time of presentation and disposal of patients, from January 1st 1999 to March 31st 1999 at Al-Kharj Military Hospital, Al-Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Patients were classified in different categories according to the triage criteria of the hospital. EPI-INFO statistical software was used for calculating x(2) and p vales.
Among the 3928 patients, 2183 (55%) were males and 1745 (44.4%) were females, while 2335 (59.4%) of the patients had primary care or non-urgent problems. In both males and females categories, 21% of the patients had respiratory tract infection followed by miscellaneous complaints like mild conjunctivitis, allergic rash, represcription for medications, minor burns (500, 12.7%, x(2) = 97.49, p < 0.00001), gastrointestinal tract problems (434, 11%, x(2) = 146.55, p < 0.00001) and aches and pains (304, 7.7%, x(2) = 283.39, p < 0.00001). In male and female categories the 2nd most common complaints were trauma (487, 22.3%) and obstetrics and gynecological problems (325, 18.6%). The majority of the patients, 1806 or 46%, attended the emergency room during night shift (2300 hours-0700 hours). Referral rates for male and female patients were 211 (9.6%) and 331 (18.9%).
Similar to the findings of other nations, inappropriate utilization of the emergency room is a big problem in the Saudi community. The majority of the patients come with minor self-limiting complaints. Maximum rush was seen at night time. There is a need for health education of such groups of patients as well as finding alternative solutions.
非紧急病情患者过度使用急诊服务是一个全球性问题。这会导致资源浪费、急诊室工作人员压力增大以及需要救治的患者等待时间增加。本研究旨在确定沙特某社区不适当急诊就诊的程度。
收集了沙特阿拉伯王国哈吉尔军事医院1999年1月1日至1999年3月31日期间急诊室登记册上有关患者年龄、性别、就诊主诉、就诊时间及处理情况的数据。根据医院的分诊标准将患者分为不同类别。使用EPI-INFO统计软件计算χ²值和p值。
在3928名患者中，男性2183名（55%），女性1745名（44.4%），2335名（59.4%）患者有初级保健问题或非紧急问题。在男性和女性患者中，21%的患者患有呼吸道感染，其次是各种杂症，如轻度结膜炎、过敏性皮疹、药物处方、轻度烧伤（500例，12.7%，χ² = 97.49，p < 0.00001）、胃肠道问题（434例，11%，χ² = 146.55，p < 0.00001）以及疼痛（304例，7.7%，χ² = 283.39，p < 0.00001）。在男性和女性患者中第二常见的主诉是创伤（487例，22.3%）和妇产科问题（325例，18.6%）。大多数患者，即1806名（46%）在夜班期间（23:00 - 07:00）前往急诊室。男性和女性患者的转诊率分别为211名（9.6%）和331名（18.9%）。
与其他国家的研究结果相似，急诊室的不适当利用在沙特社区是一个大问题。大多数患者前来就诊的是轻微的自限性疾病。夜间出现最大就诊高峰。有必要对这类患者群体进行健康教育并寻找替代解决方案。
