Level of prepatedness of patients for medical emergency

ABSTRACT

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the Emergency Room, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, during March and April 2003. One hundred patients visiting the Emergency Room for the treatment of a medical emergency were surveyed. The average age of patients was 42 years, with 54 men and 46 women. The majority was married, well educated, housewives or in private/government services. Only those patients who were well enough to respond to questions were interviewed. Seventy [70%] respondents had financial resources available to meet the expenses of the medical emergency. Patients were accompanied by someone in 89% cases. The majority was accompanied by husband [20%], son [20%], brother [14%], father [08%], wife [06%], sister [06%], mother [05%], daughter[05%] or a friend [05%]. Seventy-nine% respondents felt that experiencing the present medical emergency will enable them to be better prepared for such events in the future. Since we conducted the study at the Emergency Room of a teaching facility, and the study subjects were well-educated and socioeconomically better off, we cannot generalize the results to the population at large. We should not be surprised that 70% of the study subjects had the resources to pay for the expenses the medical emergency. Far less people in the community will be able to meet such expenses