Ophthalmological emergencies. An epidemiological study: Are resources been used properly?

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Ophthalmological emergencies represent a significant burden on healthcare systems.
• Understanding the patterns of these visits is crucial for efficient resource allocation and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and characteristics of ophthalmological emergency visits.
• To analyze patient demographics, visit patterns, and diagnoses in two tertiary hospitals.
• To identify areas for improvement in managing eye emergencies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of all patient visits to the Ophthalmological Emergency Department from January 2014 to December 2015.
• Data collection included demographics, visit details, diagnoses (ICD-9-CM), and patient disposition.
• Analysis of nearly 40,000 patient visits.

Main Results:

• A total of 39,869 visits were recorded.
• The majority of visits (73.42%) were classified as non-emergencies.
• Common diagnoses included conjunctivitis, keratitis, and vitreous detachment; orbital cellulitis led to the most admissions.
• Visits were more frequent among women, on Mondays, and during spring.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of ophthalmology emergency visits are for non-urgent conditions.
• Implementing strategies to manage non-emergency cases could improve efficiency and resource utilization.
• Focusing resources on true ophthalmological emergencies is recommended.