Jabulani Rural Health Foundation, Mqanduli, South Africa; and, Zithulele Hospital, Mqanduli.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2020 Jul 28;12(1):e1-e6. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2275.
There is little information available on the range of conditions presenting to generalist run rural district hospital emergency departments (EDs) which are the first point of acute care for many South Africans.
This study aims to assess the range of acute presentations as well as the types of procedures required by patients in a rural district hospital context.
Zithulele is a 147-bed district hospital in rural Eastern Cape.
This is a cross-sectional study assessing all patients presenting to the Zithulele hospital emergency department from 01 October 2015 to 31 December 2015. Data collected included the triage acuity using the South African Triage Scale system, patient demographics, diagnosis, outcome and procedures performed. Diagnoses were coded retrospectively according to the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems version 10 (ICD 10).
Of the 4 002 patients presenting to the ED during the study period, 2% were triaged as emergencies and 45% as non-urgent. The most common diagnostic categories were injuries, infections and respiratory illnesses respectively. Diagnoses from all broad categories of the ICD-10 were represented. 67% of patients required no procedure. Diagnostic procedures (n = 877) were more prevalent than therapeutic procedures (n = 377). Only 2.4% of patients were transferred to a referral centre acutely.
Patients with conditions from all categories of the ICD-10 present for management at rural district hospitals. Healthcare professionals working in this setting need to independently diagnose and manage a wide range of ED presentations and execute an assortment of procedures.
对于许多南非人来说，基层农村地区医院的急诊部（ED）是急性护理的第一站，然而目前针对基层农村地区医院急诊部所接诊的各种病症的信息十分有限。
本研究旨在评估农村地区医院中急诊患者的急性病症表现范围以及所需的各种治疗类型。
齐特乌莱是东开普省的一家 147 床的地区医院。
这是一项横断面研究，评估了 2015 年 10 月 1 日至 12 月 31 日期间到齐特乌莱医院急诊部就诊的所有患者。收集的数据包括使用南非分诊量表系统进行的分诊紧急程度、患者人口统计学、诊断、结果和进行的操作。根据国际疾病分类和相关健康问题第十版（ICD-10）对诊断进行回顾性编码。
在研究期间，4002 名到 ED 就诊的患者中，2%被分诊为紧急情况，45%为非紧急情况。最常见的诊断类别分别为损伤、感染和呼吸系统疾病。 ICD-10 所有广泛类别的诊断都有代表。67%的患者无需进行任何操作。诊断性操作（n = 877）比治疗性操作（n = 377）更为常见。只有 2.4%的患者被紧急转至转诊中心。
农村地区医院接诊的患者涵盖了 ICD-10 所有类别的疾病。在这种环境下工作的医疗保健专业人员需要独立诊断和管理广泛的 ED 表现，并执行各种操作。
