Alhojelan Ali M, Al Rusayni Yasser Abdalmohsen, Alsaif Ebrahim, Aldoubiab Rayan K, Aloqla Abdulhakeem, Aloraini Ahmed A, Alswyan Rabab, Alharbi Turki S
Emergency Medicine Department, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Emergency Medicine Department, Buraidah Central Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Apr 16;16(4):e58383. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58383. eCollection 2024 Apr.
This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of non-urgent cases, investigate gender and age preferences, and explore factors influencing individuals' selection of the emergency department (ED) for non-urgent cases in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.
From July 15, 2022, to December 31, 2022, a structured online questionnaire via a Google Docs survey collected data. The study sampled 425 patients from two prominent Al-Qassim healthcare institutions: Buraydah King Fahad Specialized Hospital and Buraydah Central Hospital. Encompassing patients aged 20 to 80 admitted to the ED between 8:00 and 16:00, concurrent with primary healthcare center availability, the study categorized participants by urgency using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) criteria. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and probit regression in R version 4.3.3, with a significance level of < 0.05 for result interpretation.
In Al-Qassim in 2022, 82.4% of ED visitors sought care for non-urgent cases, while 17.6% sought care for urgent cases. No statistically significant relationship was found between age and gender and urgent ED visits. Among those with non-urgent conditions, the top reasons for bypassing primary healthcare services were slow treatment (52.7%), lack of knowledge about primary healthcare (PHC) services (33.9%), and appointment unavailability (5.5%). Evaluation of awareness of the ED triage system showed a significant difference only among patients with excellent awareness.
The investigation found a higher prevalence of non-urgent cases, especially among females. Challenges in appointment booking, accessibility, and the perception of urgency were key factors leading patients to choose the emergency department over PHC centers. The study emphasized the crucial role of ED triage system awareness and the impact of satisfaction with PHC services on healthcare-seeking behavior, with younger individuals less likely to visit the ED and males more inclined at specific satisfaction levels.
本横断面描述性研究旨在确定非紧急情况病例的患病率，调查性别和年龄偏好，并探索影响沙特阿拉伯卡西姆地区个人因非紧急情况选择急诊科（ED）的因素。
2022年7月15日至2022年12月31日，通过谷歌文档调查以结构化在线问卷收集数据。该研究从卡西姆地区两家著名的医疗机构——布赖代法赫德国王专科医院和布赖代中心医院抽取了425名患者。纳入20至80岁在8:00至16:00期间入住急诊科且同时有初级医疗中心服务的患者，研究使用加拿大分诊和 acuity 量表（CTAS）标准按紧急程度对参与者进行分类。数据分析采用描述性统计、卡方检验和R 4.3.3版本中的概率回归，结果解释的显著性水平为<0.05。
2022年在卡西姆地区，82.4%的急诊科就诊者因非紧急情况寻求治疗，而17.6%因紧急情况寻求治疗。年龄和性别与紧急急诊科就诊之间未发现统计学上的显著关系。在患有非紧急疾病的人群中，绕过初级医疗服务的首要原因是治疗缓慢（52.7%）、对初级医疗（PHC）服务缺乏了解（33.9%）以及无法预约（5.5%）。对急诊科分诊系统知晓度的评估仅在知晓度极高的患者中显示出显著差异。
调查发现非紧急情况病例的患病率较高，尤其是在女性中。预约挂号、可及性以及对紧急程度的认知方面的挑战是导致患者选择急诊科而非初级医疗中心的关键因素。该研究强调了急诊科分诊系统知晓度的关键作用以及对初级医疗服务满意度对就医行为的影响，较年轻个体前往急诊科就诊的可能性较小，而在特定满意度水平下男性更倾向于前往急诊科。
