Frequent attenders to emergency department in a research hospital in Turkey

Abstract

Aim: Frequent attenders to emergency departments have become an increasingly important healthcare problem in the whole world. In our study we aimed to define characteristics of this frail population with their own unique problems. Method: Study was conducted in Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital during a 1-year period between 01.01.2013 and 01.12.2013 with adult patients older than 18 years old who made emergency visits more than 12 times a year were included in the study. Each patient’s demographic data (age, sex, marital status), medical insurance status, cause of death, residential address, chronic disorders were noted and included in evaluations. Results: A total of 169,066 emergency department visits done by 124,574 different patients were detected. Hundred and seventeen frequent attenders (76 men, and 41 women) visited emergency departments for a total of 2,162 times. The number of visits ranged from 12 to 91 per year. Of them the uninsured patients were significantly older. Both the age and number (%) of divorced/widowed patients were significantly higher compared to other groups (p<0.05). Pain was significantly the most common presenting symptom followed by psychiatric complaints. Frequent attenders had mostly psychiatric and chronic painful diseases in general but patients with hematological disorders had visited emergency services significantly more frequently compared with the patients with other chronic diseases.Sixteen patients died during the study period. It was demonstrated that the deceased patients had applied to emergency services more frequently, and they had significantly higher mean age, and significantly higher rates of chronic internal and oncological disorders. Conclusion: The patients who visited emergency services frequently belonged to a frail population with complex problems. The solution of these problems should priorly be possible with recognition of characteristic features of this patient population. © 2018, Logos Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.