title: [The medical emergency department in a Swiss regional hospital: the important role of generalists].
abstract: Patients not having a general practitioner will more likely use the emergency departments (ED) of hospitals for primary care. Crowding of the ED due to patients with minor health problems is a growing burden. The present work was aimed to analyze data of ED consultations at a Swiss regional hospital. Leading diagnoses of ED consultations covered a broad spectrum of internal medicine. The majority of patients seen in the ED are «walk-in» patients with minor problems that after initial evaluation and treatment in the ED could be managed as outpatients. Pediatric patients made a considerable part of the workload. Elderly patients (>65 years) were hospitalized more often.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Innere Medizin, Universitatsspital Zurich, Zurich. mattia.arrigo@usz.ch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrigo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bregenzer
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006760:Hospitalization; D006767:Hospitals, District / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D013557:Switzerland; D016526:Workload; D055815:Young Adult