ERDAL YILMAZ
Southern Clinics of Istanbul Eurasia - 2021;32(2):187-194
INTRODUCTION: In this study, it is aimed to reach some information that will prepare the ground for the establishment of emergency service database. The urgency and appropriateness of the applications were evaluated for determining the possible rush hours of the emergency department (ED) and planning the workforce; the reasons and times of the inappropriate applications were determined and the measures to be taken to prevent them were discussed. METHODS: This study was prospectively conducted in Ankara Training and Research Hospital, ED. Seven closed-ended questions were asked for the analysis of patients’ demographics and 15 closed-ended questions to determine the reasons of ED (green tag) applicant. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows v18 software and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the patients, 88.1% had social security. Patients often presented to the ED between 5 PM and 08 AM (52.4%). Of the patients, 70.2% stated the reason for not referring to their family physicians within working hours as feeling themselves urgent and willing to have more detailed examination (36.3%). The leading reason for preferring the ED was its closeness (36.5%). It has been determined that all of the patients have referred to the ED at least once in the past year. Patients who came after working hours stated that the reason of their preference for ED because of acute illness (61.6%). It was determined that patients preferred ED over family health centers and outpatient clinics for drip-feed (50.6%) and/or injections (25.4%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: As a result, we believe that the number of applications can be reduced with the education to be given to individuals, removal of non-urgent procedures from emergency services (injection, dressing, etc.), placement of family health centers in appropriate places, and increasing the trust of the physicians in these centers, increasing the costs of examination contribution from green field patients.
