The Frequency of Attending the Emergency Department According to Seasons and Working Hours.

Objective: It is unclear whether admissions to the emergency department and administration of medical interventions at this clinic increase in different seasons and working shifts. Aim: The goal of this retrospective and cross-sectional research was to determine the frequency of attending the emergency department according to seasons and working hours, and also to determine the frequency of non-real emergency visits and the frequency of medical procedures performed on patients in a touristic town in Turkey. Methods: The ED visits of 116306 adult and paediatric patients between 1 January and 31 December 2013 were examined retrospectively. The data was obtained from hospital admissions records. Results: Non-emergency visits accounted of 19010 of all ED (p= 0.000). Visits to the emergency department increased in the summer season and in the evening between 16:00 and 24:00 p.m. Non-real emergency visits increased in the summer season and in the 24:00-08:00 p.m. shift (p= 0.000). Final remarks: Hospital management should make personnel planning according to the seasons and shifts in which emergency services are intense for patient and staff safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]