What is emergency? Analysis of a population presenting to an emergency room

The population presenting at emergency rooms is increasing in Belgium. What is emergency in 1983 and why do people come? From a study of the emergency room population in a relatively new university hospital it emerges that more than 30% of those patients are in critical conditions or require in hospital treatment and about 50% are in acute discomfort. Our results confirm the impression that inappropriate use of emergency rooms is more an impression than a real problem. For socio-economic and cultural reasons, people go to emergency rooms when they need or think they should have medical help. Some emergency rooms are well able to cope with this situation. Others, less well-equipped in staff and facilities are dangerous and should be improved or closed. Unfortunately education and training programs for emergency physicians are still unknown in many parts of the French-speaking Belgium.