title: [Demands for endoscopy service outside of regular hours: a retrospective study and literature analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many acute care hospitals provide round-the-clock emergency endoscopy to guarantee immediate diagnosis and treatment of acute conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. This study is the first one to assess the demand for emergency endoscopy outside usual working hours.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study evaluated retrospectively 315 consecutive emergency endoscopies done at an acute care hospital (575 beds; catchment population 100,000, in the Ruhr area of Germany) between 26.7.2003 and 01.11.2009 (6 years and 3 months) outside usual working hours (i.e. during the weekend and from 6 pm to 8 am during weekdays). This represents 50 emergency endoscopies outside working hours per 100,000 people per year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  56.8 % of the examinations took place during the weekend (Saturday or Sunday), 26.7 % during the night (10 pm - 8 am). The distribution of the different endoscopic modalities was: 228 EGD (72.4 %), 42 incomplete colonoscopies or recto-sigmoidoscopies (13.3 %), 28 retrograde cholangio- or cholangiopancreatographies (8.9 %), 16 complete colonoscopies (5.2 %) and one oral enteroscopy. 208 (66%) of endoscopic procedures were purely diagnostic without any therapeutic intervention. The indication for endoscopy was documented in 243 of the 315 procedures. In 76.5 % of those cases the suspicion of a gastrointestinal bleeding was the indication for endoscopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an acute care hospital in Germany 50 emergency endoscopies outside working hours were performed per 100,000 population per year. This rate exceeds that reported in other European countries (Great Britain: 26.7, Norway: 24). Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of different emergency endoscopic strategies on patient outcome and treatment costs.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Gastroenterologie und Interdisziplinäre Endoskopie, Marienhospital Herne, Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Herne.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Büchner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zieren
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Henning
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004630:Emergencies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D005858:Germany; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies