Workload of on-call emergency room neurologists in a Spanish tertiary care centre. A one-year prospective study

Population ageing, the rising demand for healthcare, and the establishment of acute stroke treatment programs have given rise to increases in the number and complexity of neurological emergency cases. Nevertheless, many centres in Spain still lack on-call emergency neurologists.

We conducted a retrospective study to describe the role of on-call neurologists at Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, a tertiary care centre in Madrid, Spain. Sociodemographic characteristics, most common pathologies, diagnostic tests, and destination of the patients attended were recorded daily using a computer database. Results were compared with the general care data from the emergency department.

The team attended 3234 patients (3.48% of the emergency department total). The mean number of patients seen per day was 11.15. The most frequent pathologies were stroke (34%), epilepsy (16%) and headache (8%). The mean stay in the emergency department was 7.17 hours. Hospital admission rate was 40% (7.38% of emergency hospital admissions). The main destinations for admitted patients were the stroke unit (39.5%) and the neurology department (33%). Endovascular or thrombolytic therapies were performed on 76 occasions. Doctors attended 70% of the patients during on-call hours.

Emergency neurological care is varied, complex, and frequently necessary. Neurological cases account for a sizeable percentage of both patient visits to the emergency room and the total number of emergency admissions. The current data confirm that on-call neurologists available on a 24-hour basis are needed in emergency departments.