An investigation of emergency department utilization by patients with low or minimal priority conditions: the case of the University Hospital, Federal University of Santa Catarina.

Abstract

Introduction: Hospital emergency services and emergency rooms are intended to care for individuals with severely compromised health conditions. Patients with low or minimal priority situations may seek emergency services, leading to the formation of queues with long waiting times for care, as higher priority cases are attended to first. The objectives of this study are to describe the number of cases according to emergency care priority classification and to outline the circumstances leading patients with low or minimal priority to seek care at the clinical emergency service of the Prof. Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago University Hospital, Federal University of Santa Catarina (HU/UFSC).Method: This is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in the adult clinical emergency service of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (HU-UFSC). A total of 100 patients were analyzed, according to the parameters defined by the research, and distributed by risk classification. Results: Patients treated in the adult clinical emergency sector of HU/UFSC classified as "low priority" (green) constituted the majority of cases awaiting care at the emergency reception (72%, compared to 25% of cases with "medium priority," yellow). Patients with "low priority" (green) lived in the same neighborhood as the hospital or worked in the same neighborhood as the hospital in a significantly higher proportion than patients with "medium priority" (yellow): 87.5% (63 patients) of the Green patients resided in Florianópolis, compared to 68.0% (17 patients) of the Yellow patients (p=0,036).Conclusion: A significant association was observed between low-priority classification (green) and greater geographical proximity of patients to the hospital, both in relation to place of residence and place of work.

Keywords: Risk Classification; Clinicals Protocols; Emergency Medical Services.