Profile of eye-related emergency department visits in Ontario – a Canadian perspective

BMC Ophthalmology

Research

Husayn Gulamhusein¹  Keean Nanji²  Kourosh Sabri³  David Hamilton⁴  Yasmin Jindani⁵ 

[1] Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, 3V2, L8N 3Z5, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, 3V2, L8N 3Z5, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, 3V2, L8N 3Z5, Hamilton, ON, Canada;McMaster Paediatric Eye Research Group (McPERG), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada;McMaster Paediatric Eye Research Group (McPERG), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada;

关键词: Epidemiology;    Ophthalmology;    Trauma;    Emergency medicine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12886-023-02999-x

 received in 2023-03-10, accepted in 2023-05-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundUnderstanding the epidemiology of ophthalmic presentations to emergency departments can help guide resource allocation, medical education programs, and optimize the patient experience. The purpose of this investigation was to summarize and assess the urgency of ophthalmic presentations in emergency departments (EDs) in Ontario, Canada over a 5-year period.MethodsThis was a multicentered retrospective review of all patient presentations to EDs in Ontario between January 1st, 2012, to December 31st, 2017. Presentations were included if patients had an ophthalmic related ICD-10 code as their primary problem prompting ED presentation.ResultsA total of 774,057 patients patient presentations were included across the pediatric (149,679 patients) and adult (624,378 patients) cohorts. The mean (SD) age at presentation was 47.4 (17.9) years, and 6.54 (5.20) in the adult and pediatric cohorts respectively. Of the total presentations, 256,776 (33.1%) were due to a trauma related presentation. Problems pertaining to Cornea and External disease were the most common reason for presentation (51.0% of cases). Of all presentations, 34.1% were classified as either ‘emergent’ or ‘likely emergent’; the remaining presentations were either ‘non-emergent’ (39.5%) or the urgency ‘could not be determined’ (26.4%). The three most frequent presentations were due to conjunctivitis (121,175 cases or 15.7%), ocular foreign bodies (104,322 cases or 13.5%), and corneal / conjunctival abrasions (94,554 cases of 12.2%).ConclusionsThis investigation summarizes all ophthalmic presentations to EDs in Ontario, Canada over a 5-year period. The results of this investigation can help guide ophthalmic related knowledge translation. Additionally, these results highlight that in Canadian EDs, a significant proportion of ophthalmic presentations are nonurgent; systems level efforts to improve access for eye-related complaints to healthcare professionals outside of the ED can help facilitate improved resource allocation. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, optimising the structure of patient care access is crucial to help alleviate the pressure from overburdened EDs while effectively meeting patient healthcare needs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

41116_2023_38_Article_IEq44.gif

41116_2023_38_Article_IEq42.gif

41116_2023_38_Article_IEq40.gif

41116_2023_38_Article_IEq18.gif