E-ISSN 2617-9784 | ISSN 2617-1791
 
2021, Vol: 4, Issue: 2
4 / 2Current Issue Online FirstArchiveAims and ScopeAbstracting & IndexingMost Accessed ArticlesMost Downloaded ArticlesMost Cited Articles
Required files to be uploaded

Author Declaration Form

Original Research
Online Published: 04 Jan 2021
 


The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abdulhakam Eltayeb Elebaid Ahmed, Mohammed Abdulla Alyani, Abdulla Saad Alzahrani, Hatim Abdulrahim Alghamdi, Fatima Saud Albakri, Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi, Ahmed Minqash.


Cited By: 1

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The use of the emergency department by patients presenting with non-urgent conditions has become an important problem that is faced by all local and global health systems. The main objective of this article is to determine the causes of non-urgent emergency department visits by patients.

METHOD
This is a retrospective, descriptive study, conducted in the emergency department from January to April 2020. All patients triaged according to the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) as CTAS -5 (non-urgent conditions) were included during the study period and their data such as demographics and presenting complaints were extracted from the hospital electronic files. Ethical approval was taken from the hospital's ethical review board.

RESULTS
Out of 1308 patients that visited the emergency department (ED), 327 (25%) patients were categorized as non-urgent visits (CTAS-5) according to the triage system. There was a slight female predominance of 165(50.5%) as compared to males 162(49.5%). 71% of patients were between 20-40 years of age. It was identified that 92% of the selected patients had non-urgent conditions, did not need any treatment in ED, and could be treated and followed up in primary health clinics or hospital polyclinics. 32.7% of patients had no chronic illness and 32.1 % of the patients had visited the ED before at least one time for the same complaint. The most common complaints at presentation for non-urgent visits were musculoskeletal system pain (30.5%), mild non-surgical abdominal pain (17.7%), Upper respiratory tract infection (9.5%), and fever (3.7%). It was found that 5.8% needs to be upgraded to CTAS 3-4 zone for further assessment and management.

CONCLUSION
The majority of non-urgent visits at the emergency department could be treated in other facilities like primary health care and hospital polyclinics. Proper, safe application of triage system and necessary education to the patients can reduce the emergency department overcrowdedness which will ensure patients safety and improve patients' clinical outcome.

Key words: Non-urgent visits, Triage system, overcrowdedness, Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale, Emergency Department throughput


 
ARTICLE TOOLS
Abstract
PDF Fulltext
How to cite this articleHow to cite this article
Citation Tools
Related Records
 Articles by Abdulhakam Eltayeb Elebaid Ahmed
Articles by Mohammed Abdulla Alyani
Articles by Abdulla Saad Alzahrani
Articles by Hatim Abdulrahim Alghamdi
Articles by Fatima Saud Albakri
Articles by Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi
Articles by Ahmed Minqash
on Google
on Google Scholar


This Article Cited By the following articles

A Systematic Review of the Causes, Consequences, and Solutions of Emergency Department Overcrowding in Saudi Arabia
Cureus 2023; (): .

1
 
How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Ahmed AEE, Alyani MA, Alzahrani AS, Alghamdi HA, Albakri FS, Alghamdi AM, Minqash A. The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SAJEM. 2020; 3(2): 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212

Web Style

Ahmed AEE, Alyani MA, Alzahrani AS, Alghamdi HA, Albakri FS, Alghamdi AM, Minqash A. The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. https://www.sajem.org/?mno=17301 [Access: June 23, 2026]. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Ahmed AEE, Alyani MA, Alzahrani AS, Alghamdi HA, Albakri FS, Alghamdi AM, Minqash A. The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SAJEM. 2020; 3(2): 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Ahmed AEE, Alyani MA, Alzahrani AS, Alghamdi HA, Albakri FS, Alghamdi AM, Minqash A. The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SAJEM. (2020), [cited June 23, 2026]; 3(2): 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


Harvard Style

Ahmed, A. E. E., Alyani, . M. A., Alzahrani, . A. S., Alghamdi, . H. A., Albakri, . F. S., Alghamdi, . A. M. & Minqash, . A. (2020) The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SAJEM, 3 (2), 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


Turabian Style

Ahmed, Abdulhakam Eltayeb Elebaid, Mohammed Abdulla Alyani, Abdulla Saad Alzahrani, Hatim Abdulrahim Alghamdi, Fatima Saud Albakri, Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi, and Ahmed Minqash. 2020. The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine, 3 (2), 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


Chicago Style

Ahmed, Abdulhakam Eltayeb Elebaid, Mohammed Abdulla Alyani, Abdulla Saad Alzahrani, Hatim Abdulrahim Alghamdi, Fatima Saud Albakri, Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi, and Ahmed Minqash. "The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine 3 (2020), 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Ahmed, Abdulhakam Eltayeb Elebaid, Mohammed Abdulla Alyani, Abdulla Saad Alzahrani, Hatim Abdulrahim Alghamdi, Fatima Saud Albakri, Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi, and Ahmed Minqash. "The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine 3.2 (2020), 9-12. Print. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Ahmed, A. E. E., Alyani, . M. A., Alzahrani, . A. S., Alghamdi, . H. A., Albakri, . F. S., Alghamdi, . A. M. & Minqash, . A. (2020) The causes of visits of non-urgent patients to an emergency department in King Fahad Hospital-Albaha-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine, 3 (2), 9-12. doi:10.5455/sajem.030212


Author LoginReviewer LoginAbout PublisherEditorial PoliciesEditorial Review PolicyPeer Review PolicyEditorial & Peer Review ProcessAuthor's Rights and ObligationsPublication Ethics and Publication Malpractice StatementConflict of Interest PolicyPlagiarism PolicyProtection of Research Participants (Statement On Human And Animal Rights)Privacy PolicyCorrections, Retractions & Expressions of ConcernStatement of Informed ConsentAdvertising PolicyLicense InformationCopyright Information

About South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine

South Asian Journal of Emergency Medicine (SAJEM) is an international, peer-reviewed journal which is published bi-annually. Emergency Medicine is a new ... Read more.



For best results, please use Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.

Contact Information


For any further information, please email at info@sajem.org