Shao Emily, Judge Chantelle, McMeniman Erin, Bazianas Tina, Eley Rob
Emergency Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
World J Emerg Med. 2020;11(2):74-78. doi: 10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2020.02.002.
Approximately 5%-8% of emergency department (ED) presentations are due to a dermatological condition. This study aimed to identify and characterise patients with skin conditions presenting to a busy ED.
A 5-year retrospective study on patients with dermatological conditions presenting to the Princess Alexandra Hospital ED in Brisbane, Australia was performed. Electronic medical records were used to compare demographics and admission status of the dermatology group and the total ED group presentations. A prospective survey was conducted on low priority triage (triage 4 and 5) patients identifying reasons presenting to the ED.
Of a total 281,718 ED presentations, 11,748 dermatology presentations were identified between January 2012 to December 2016. Of the dermatology presentations, 41.5% were female and had an average age of 47. The most common dermatology presentations were cellulitis, abscess, rash unspecified, and ulcer. Of those admitted, 36% were female, average age was 53, mean length of stay of 294 minutes and 83.1% had an infectious aetiology. Of triage 4 and 5 presentations, 66% patients we approached had been seen by a health practitioner prior to coming to the ED.
Within the population presenting with a skin related condition to the Princess Alexandra Hospital ED, characteristics associated with admission include male sex, older age, and an infectious etiology. This data may help ED clinicians decide on the discharge disposition of these patients. There may be a role for streamlined admissions for skin related infections, or improved hospital in the home services to support this group.
急诊科就诊患者中约5%-8%是由皮肤病引起的。本研究旨在识别并描述前往繁忙急诊科就诊的皮肤病患者。
对澳大利亚布里斯班亚历山德拉公主医院急诊科的皮肤病患者进行了一项为期5年的回顾性研究。使用电子病历比较皮肤病组和急诊科总就诊患者的人口统计学特征及入院情况。对低优先级分诊（分诊4级和5级）患者进行了一项前瞻性调查，以确定其前往急诊科就诊的原因。
在2012年1月至2016年12月期间的281,718例急诊科就诊患者中，共识别出11,748例皮肤病就诊患者。在皮肤病就诊患者中，41.5%为女性，平均年龄为47岁。最常见的皮肤病表现为蜂窝织炎、脓肿、未明确的皮疹和溃疡。在入院患者中，36%为女性，平均年龄为53岁，平均住院时间为294分钟，83.1%的病因是感染性的。在分诊4级和5级就诊患者中，我们接触的患者中有66%在前往急诊科之前已看过医疗从业者。
在亚历山德拉公主医院急诊科就诊的皮肤病患者群体中，与入院相关的特征包括男性、年龄较大和感染性病因。这些数据可能有助于急诊科临床医生决定这些患者的出院处置。对于皮肤相关感染的简化入院流程或改善居家医院服务以支持该群体可能会起到作用。
