title: Characteristics of patients presenting to the vascular emergency department of a tertiary care hospital: a 2-year study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The structure of health care in Greece is receiving increased attention to improve its cost-effectiveness. We sought to examine the epidemiological characteristics of patients presenting to the vascular emergency department of a Greek tertiary care hospital during a 2-year period. We studied all patients presenting to the emergency department of vascular surgery at Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 2452 (49.4%) out of 4961 patients suffered from pathologies that should have been treated in primary health care. Only 2509 (50.6%) needed vascular surgical intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The emergency department of vascular surgery in a Greek tertiary care hospital has to treat a remarkably high percentage of patients suitable for the primary health care level. These results suggest that an improvement in the structure of health care is needed in Greece.
authors: Department of Vascular Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece. pfanis@otenet.gr.
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Kotsikoris
authors: Theofanis T
authors: TT
authors: Papas
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Papanas
authors: Dimitrios
authors: D
authors: Maras
authors: Paraskevi
authors: P
authors: Tsiantula
authors: Polyvios
authors: P
authors: Pavlidis
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Andrikopoulou
authors: Stamatia
authors: S
authors: Kotsiou
authors: Efstratios
authors: E
authors: Maltezos
authors: Nikolaos
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authors: Bessias