How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance?

Volume: 6 Number: 2 July 10, 2015
  • Melih Yuksel
  • Caner Saglam
  • Muharrem Çakmak
  • Aynur Altunbay
  • Sultan Baran
EN TR

How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance?

Abstract

Objective: Emergency departments are the first places to which patients present with unexpected or unforeseen health problems. The purpose of this study was to assess the urgency of cases brought by ambulance to the Hospital on the basis of a three-level triage system.

Methods: This study was performed between 01.06.2013 and 31.09.2013 at the Diyarbakır Education and Research Hospital. Our emergency service unit is a third degree service for all adult patient groups and all child trauma types. Triage of patients brought to the emergency department by ambulance was performed by emergency medicine specialists. Patients’ vital findings, identity data and triage categories were assessed.

Results: 712 patients were included, 382 (53.7%) male and 330 (46.3%) female, with a mean age of 45. In this study, 619 (86.9%) patients were transferred from the scene and 93 (13.1) between hospitals, 483 (67.8%) patients were brought by emergency medicine technician (EMT) teams, 107 (15%) by physician-led teams, 107 (15) by paramedic teams and 15 (2.1%) by other teams, 442 (62.1%) patients were assessed as yellow, 141 (19.8%) as green and 129 (19.1%) as red zone. Five hundred eighty (81.5%) patients were discharged and 115 (15.9%) were hospitalized.

Conclusion: Emergency health services are clearly developing rapidly in Turkey. In order for pre-hospital emergency health services not to be abused, we think that these services should be up to the standards of those in developed countries and that public awareness needs to be increased, particularly with regard to triage. J Clin Exp Invest 2015; 6 (2): 126-129

Key words: Emergency medicine, triage, ambulance

Keywords

References

  1. 1. Farrohknia N, Castrén M, Ehrenberg A, et al. Emergency department triage scales and their components: A systematic review of the scientific evidence. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2011;19:1-13.
  2. 2. Erimşah ME, Yaka E, Yılmaz S, et al. Inter-rater reliability and validity of the Ministry of Health of Turkey’s mandatory emergency triage instrument. Emerg Med Australas 2015;27:210-215.
  3. 3. Türkdoğan KA, Kapçı M, Akpınar A, et al. Demographic characteristics of patients a state hospital emergency service: meta-analysis of 2011. J Clin Exp Invest 2013;4:274-278.
  4. 4. Nur N, Demir ÖF, Çetinkaya S, et al. Evaluotion of the 112 emergency service use by older people. Turk J Geriatr 2008;11:7-11.
  5. 5. Keskinoglu P, Sofuoglu T, Ozmen O, et al. Older people’s use of pre-hospital emergency medical services in Izmir, Turkey. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2010;50:356-360.
  6. 6. Burt CW, McCaig LF, Valverde RH. Analysis of ambulance transports and diversions among US emergency departments. Ann Emerg Med 2006;47:317-326.
  7. 7. Marinovich A, Afilalo J, Afilalo M, et al. Impact of ambulance transportation on resource use in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med 2004;11:312-15.
  8. 8. Kawakami C, Ohshige K, Kubota K, et al. Influence calls. BMC Health Serv Res 2007;7:120.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

-

Authors

Caner Saglam This is me

Muharrem Çakmak This is me

Aynur Altunbay This is me

Sultan Baran This is me

Publication Date

July 10, 2015

Submission Date

July 10, 2015

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2015 Volume: 6 Number: 2

APA
Yuksel, M., Saglam, C., Çakmak, M., Altunbay, A., & Baran, S. (2015). How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance? Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations, 6(2), 126-129. https://doi.org/10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502
AMA
1.Yuksel M, Saglam C, Çakmak M, Altunbay A, Baran S. How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance? J Clin Exp Invest. 2015;6(2):126-129. doi:10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502
Chicago
Yuksel, Melih, Caner Saglam, Muharrem Çakmak, Aynur Altunbay, and Sultan Baran. 2015. “How Urgent Are Cases Brought to the Emergency Department by Ambulance?”. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations 6 (2): 126-29. https://doi.org/10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502.
EndNote
Yuksel M, Saglam C, Çakmak M, Altunbay A, Baran S (July 1, 2015) How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance? Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations 6 2 126–129.
IEEE
[1]M. Yuksel, C. Saglam, M. Çakmak, A. Altunbay, and S. Baran, “How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance?”, J Clin Exp Invest, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 126–129, July 2015, doi: 10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502.
ISNAD
Yuksel, Melih - Saglam, Caner - Çakmak, Muharrem - Altunbay, Aynur - Baran, Sultan. “How Urgent Are Cases Brought to the Emergency Department by Ambulance?”. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations 6/2 (July 1, 2015): 126-129. https://doi.org/10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502.
JAMA
1.Yuksel M, Saglam C, Çakmak M, Altunbay A, Baran S. How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance? J Clin Exp Invest. 2015;6:126–129.
MLA
Yuksel, Melih, et al. “How Urgent Are Cases Brought to the Emergency Department by Ambulance?”. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations, vol. 6, no. 2, July 2015, pp. 126-9, doi:10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502.
Vancouver
1.Melih Yuksel, Caner Saglam, Muharrem Çakmak, Aynur Altunbay, Sultan Baran. How urgent are cases brought to the emergency department by ambulance? J Clin Exp Invest. 2015 Jul. 1;6(2):126-9. doi:10.5799/ahinjs.01.2015.02.0502