Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 May 17;8(1):90-106.
doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v8n1p90.

Utilization of the Emergency Department and Predicting Factors Associated With Its Use at the Saudi Ministry of Health General Hospitals

Sundus O Dawoud  1 , Alaeddin Mohammad K Ahmad, Omar Z Alsharqi, Rajaa M Al-Raddadi
Affiliations

Utilization of the Emergency Department and Predicting Factors Associated With Its Use at the Saudi Ministry of Health General Hospitals

Sundus O Dawoud et al. Glob J Health Sci. .

Abstract

Overuse of emergency rooms (ER) is a public health problem. To investigate this issue, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at the ERs of King Abdul-Aziz Hospital, King Fahd Hospital, and Al-Thaghor Hospital in November 2013 with the aims of estimating emergency service utilization for non-urgent cases, identifying the predictors of ER utilization for non-urgent cases, and measuring patients' knowledge of primary healthcare centers (PHCCs). Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. We recruited 300 patients; males comprised 50.7% of the sample. A higher proportion of patients with non-urgent cases visited the ER three to four times a year (P=0.001). A higher proportion of patients without emergencies had not attempted to visit an outpatient clinic before the ER (P=0.003). Most patients without emergencies thought the ER was the first place to consult in case of illness. Most patients who visited the ER were single, <15 years, and had lower incomes. Patients requested ER services for primary care-treatable conditions because of limited services and resources as well as limited working hours at PHCCs. Most patients (90.0%) were knowledgeable about PHCCs, with those of lower education being more knowledgeable. Patients reported long ER waiting times (≥3 hours), no organization (85.9%), and lack of medical staff. Overall, overuse of ER services is high at the Ministry of Health hospitals in Jeddah. The risk factors for ER overuse are age<15 years, singlehood, and low incomes. Policy makers and health providers have a challenging task to control ER overuse. We recommend developing strategies to implement policies aimed at reducing non-urgent ER use as well as making healthcare services more available to the population.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reasons why patients had not seen a specialist doctor
Figure 2
Figure 2
Patients options when they experienced symptoms
Figure 3
Figure 3
Common chronic health problems reported by the patients
Figure 4
Figure 4
Reasons why patients visited the emergency room instead of primary healthcare centers
Figure 5
Figure 5
Reason why patients visit the emergency room despite having health insurance
Figure 6
Figure 6
Problems Encountered by Patients at the Emergency Room
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al-Khaldi Y. M, Al-Sharif AI. Availability Of Resources Of Diabetic Care In Primary Health Care Settings in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 2002;23(12):1509–1513. - PubMed
    1. Al-Khaldi Y. M, Al-Sharif A. I, Al-Jamal M. N, Kisha A. H. Difficulties Faced When Conducting Primary Health Care Programs in Rural Areas. Saudi Medical Journal. 2002;23(4):384–387. - PubMed
    1. Bakarman M, Njaifan N. Assessment of Non-emergency Cases Attending Emergency Department at King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah;Pattern and Outcomes. Life Science Journal. 2014;11(8)
    1. Blustein J. Medicare Coverage, Supplemental Insurance, And The Use of Mammography by Older Women. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1995;332:1138–1143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199504273321706 . - PubMed
    1. Carret M. L, Fassa A. C, Domingues M. R. Inappropriate Use of Emergency Services: A Systematic Review of Prevalence And Associated Factors. Cadernos Saude Publica. 2009;25(1):7–28. - PubMed