The epidemiology of emergency department attendances in Christchurch

Aim. To describe the characteristics of patients who attended Christchurch Hospital's emergency department (ED) in 1998. Methods. Non-identifiable data about all the attendances to the ED during 1 998 were obtained from Christchurch Hospital's management information servi ces database. Demographic data, time and date of arrival, source of referra l, diagnosis, triage category, and discharge destination were analysed. Results. In 1998 there were 65 024 attendances, on average 175 people per d ay (95% confidence interval 145-211. Children and the elderly were the most frequent attenders except in weekends when visits by young people were mor e common. The elderly had the highest age specific rates of attendance. Mos t attendances were between 8am and midnight, and Mondays and July were the day and month with most attendances respectively. 43% of people referred th emselves and 35% were referred by their general practitioner (GP). GP refer rals were significantly more common during the day, the working week and in the winter. The elderly frequently presented with medical problems, their attendances were classified as more urgent and 75% of their visits resulted in hospital admission. Conclusions. These findings are generally consistent with the few previousl y published descriptions of ED attendance in New Zealand and most overseas studies. ED attendance data have important implications for funders and pro viders of ED services and a national dataset should be established.