Abstract
BackgroundThe future of emergency departments in Germany is influenced by increasing numbers of patients, demographic changes, new therapeutic concepts, current legislation and expert opinions. There is alack of reliable data concerning the quantity and the type of injuries and diseases presenting in emergency departments.Material and methodsThis descriptive, epidemiological study included 14 emergency departments in Munich (1.41 million inhabitants in 2014), where 524,716 patients were treated from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. 393,587 were included in this prospectively planned subgroup analysis. Patients presenting in special departments, such as gynecology or ophthalmology (59,523) or cases without a documented diagnosis (71,606) were excluded. Cases were assigned to the discipline trauma surgery or orthopedics according to the ICD-10 diagnosis chapters injuries, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue.ResultsOf the 393,587 cases included, 169,208 were treated due to trauma or orthopedic diseases (43%). 134,507 underwent outpatient treatment (79%) and 34,701 were admitted on the same day (21%). 29,920 patients suffered from head injuries (18%), 31,143 fractures (20%) and 24,367 deep wounds (14%) were recorded. On workdays between 8am and 10am, up to 47patients per hour were treated and between 1pm and 3pm, up to 36patients per hour. On weekends, most patients presented between 11am and 7pm.ConclusionThe present study analyzed the frequency of major diagnoses corresponding to the various medical disciplines including more than 500,000 patients. Of the emergency cases included, 43% were allocated to trauma surgery or orthopedics. These patients presented in the emergency departments around the clock and necessitate the permanent attendance of atrauma and emergency surgeon. Thereby, timely surgical care and decisions regarding indications for surgery and admission are ensured. Competence in trauma and emergency surgery is therefore essential for emergency departments.
Dokumententyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
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Fakultät: | Medizin |
Themengebiete: | 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit |
ISSN: | 0177-5537 |
Sprache: | Deutsch |
Dokumenten ID: | 80911 |
Datum der Veröffentlichung auf Open Access LMU: | 15. Dez. 2021, 14:55 |
Letzte Änderungen: | 15. Dez. 2021, 14:55 |