Research on regularity of emergency patients visiting doctors during holidays and festival days / 中华急诊医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the regularity of variation in number of emergency patients visiting doctors within each 24 h during holidays and festival days,so as to provide a scientific basis for hospital administration and the rational allocation of human resources.Methods Based on the hospital's statistical data of emergency patients visiting doctors during winters from December 2010 to February 2014,a retrospective analysis was carried out for the number and the visiting time of emergency patients on holidays (weekends,the minor long holiday of 3 days for New Year and the major long holiday of 7 days for spring festival) and on general working days (Monday to Friday),respectively.The variation in number of patients and peak time of visiting doctors were analyzed by using circular distribution method,and compared the differences in the number of emergency patients visiting doctors and peak time period between holidays and working days.Results Most of emergency patient visitors were 50-79 years old males; the number of emergency patients on holidays was significantly higher than that on general working days,especially during the seven-day spring festival (P ＜ 0.01),while the number on New Year' s day was similar to that on weekends; peak time for emergency patients' visiting doctors was from 1305 to 028 during general working days.On the contrary,the peak time occurred earlier at 1005 until 2105 during the holidays if the hospital offers half-day outpatient service,and in the absence of outpatient service,the peak time emerged further earlier at 916 until 2126 during holidays.Conclusions The ages,number and the peak time of emergency patients visiting doctors on holidays are different from those on the general working days,so medical staff on duty should be arranged reasonably to follow this regularity.