Emergency department medicine in a rural cottage hospital

The demographic and medical characteristics of patients using the emergency department of the Gatineau Memorial Hospital in Wakefield, Quebec were studied. These characteristics are compared with those reported in the medical literature. A youthful, predominantly male population presented to the emergency department, usually because of trauma or respiratory illness. Seventy-five percent of the patients were seen within 20 minutes of their arrival. Medications were prescribed slightly over 50% of the time, but laboratory and radiology services were infrequently used. Of the patients seen, 6.4% were transferred to larger city hospitals. These transferred patients most frequently were trauma victims needing complicated surgery or specialized services.