earticle

영어

Purpose: The severity classification in association with the time of visit to and the appropriateness of using a public ambulance for visiting the emergency department (ED) have not been thoroughly evaluated, and we aimed to evaluate these aspects. Methods: In this descriptive research, we retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the medical records of patients who visited the ED of the B General Hospital, Seoul from January to December 2019. Results: Of the 54,297 patients who were included in the analysis, 34,629 (63.8%) and 14,065 (25.9%) visited the ED directly and through public ambulances, respectively; 10,328 (73.4%) patients who used public ambulances were discharged home. In the daytime and nighttime, 24,891 (45.8%) and 29,406 (54.2%), respectively, visited the ED. The mean length of ED stay (LoS) of emergency and non-emergency patients was 326 and 159 minutes, respectively, and of patients classified as Korean Triage and Acuity Scale levels 1 and 2 was 427 and 430 minutes, respectively, which was longer than the total of 236 minutes. Conclusion: Patients who visited the ED using public ambulances constituted nearly 25% of all ED visits, and more than 70% of these patients were discharged home. Patients with high severity had a longer mean LoS, and daytime ED visits were characterized by higher numbers and severity of patients than nighttime ED visits.