title: Emergency department walk-in patients study.
abstract: We conducted a 25-week study of the emergency department's (ED) walk-in patients at a university hospital, covering 20% of the total period by a Latin square method of 6-h blocks. One thousand eight hundred walk-in patients entered the study group. The walk-in population represents approximately 44% of the total ED population. Our results reveal that the study population was predominantly male, aged less than 40 years but somewhat younger than the general population and had a relatively stable place of abode. Trauma and medical patients were respectively 46% and 53%. Eight-six per cent of the trauma patients came to the ED on their own initiative and less than 3 h after the accident or injury, while 43% of the medical patients were referred by a medical practitioner and had a relatively longer duration of symptoms. Forty-eight per cent of the medical patients visited the ED 12 h after the onset of symptoms. Although this study only concerned ED walk-in patients, the admission rate of medical patients is relatively high: 47% as opposed to the trauma patients' 10%. About 10% of the walk-in patients were classified as 'symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions' according to the International Classification of Diseases 9. Fifty-two per cent of these patients were discharged home. This group of patients requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hooft
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Delooz
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013997:Time Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*