Frequent a ttenders to the emergency department at prince rashed bin al hassan hospital

Abstract EN

Objective: To determine the frequency and demographic characteristics of frequent attenders at a Jordanian hospital Emergency Department.

Methods: Data were collected from the Emergency Department at Prince Rashed Bin Al-Hassan Hospital.

The study was conducted between September 2004 and September 2005.

Data included total number of patients who were seen at the Emergency Department, number of frequent attenders, age, gender, presenting symptoms and time of presentation were analysed.

Frequent attenders were defined as those who made 12 or more visits during one-year period.

Results: Among the 73,259 patients who visited the Emergency Department, 1,685 (2.3%) were found to be frequent attenders.

The most common age group among frequent attenders was between 40-64 years.

About two thirds were males.

Chest pain and shortness of breath, followed by abdominal pain and minor trauma were found to be the most common presenting symptoms.

Frequent attenders most commonly presented on the second shift.

Conclusion: The complexity of these patients’ medical and psychosocial needs represents a great challenge for clinicians.

Attempts to reduce the number of visits will likely require a multidisciplinary approach involving both health and community leaders.