Rate and Reasons of Minor Injuries Patients’ Attendance at Surgical Emergency Departments, Ain Shams University Hospitals

Abstract

mergency Departments (EDs) worldwide are facing a crisis from overcrowding, pressures and crowding at EDs are resulting in increasingly strained and inefficient ED services, increased waiting times and treatment delays. Minor injuries are defined as ″ injuries requiring simple medical intervention, quickly managed, likely to be discharged home, self referral and can be managed in the primary care. Also, minor injuries are injuries not requiring hospital admission or surgery. Minor injuries contribute to the majority of injuries presenting to medical facilities, contributing globally to 37.3% of disability adjusted years. Treatment of minor injuries places an enormous burden on hospital emergency departments and trauma care systems. This study aimed to measure the rate of attendance of minor injuries in the emergency departments (EDs) of El Demerdash university hospital for one year duration, to describe the characteristics of patients with minor injuries who attend the hospital emergency departments and to identify the reasons of minor injuries patient’s preferences to attend the surgical ED rather than the (PHC) centres.