Dermatological presentations to a regional Victorian hospital emergency department: A 1-year audit.
Aust J Rural Health
; 31(2): 196-203, 2023 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36264011
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiological features of each presentation with a primary dermatological diagnosis to a regional emergency department (ED).DESIGN:
1-year retrospective audit.SETTING:
Regional Victorian hospital emergency department.PARTICIPANTS:
Any presentation to this regional emergency department with a dermatological condition from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. MAIN OUTCOMEMEASURES:
Dermatology presentations to the ED in 2020 and the prevalence of the associated primary diagnosis.RESULTS:
In total, 4.7% (n = 1873) of ED presentations had a primary dermatological diagnosis. Of these, 1484 were ≥18 years of age and 389 were ≤17 years of age. Cellulitis (26.1%, n = 388) was the most common primary diagnosis among presentations ≥18 years. Non-specific rash was the most common diagnosis (23.6%, n = 92) in presentations ≤17 years. Indigenous Australians ≥18 years were more likely to be in a younger age group (p < 0.01), and dermatitis/eczema presentations ≥18 years (n = 10) were the largest diagnostic group referred to a dermatologist. A total of 134 (7.1%) patients ≥18 years travelled more than 50 km to the ED. There were no dermatological emergencies identified.CONCLUSIONS:
A high proportion of presentations to this regional ED with a dermatological diagnosis could be well managed by a dermatologist or general practitioner (GP) as an outpatient. The findings of this study inform the need for future rural public dermatology services. Options include teledermatology, or a public weekly or fortnightly rapid review dermatology clinic with a visiting dermatologist, in the absence of a dermatologist onsite.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital
/
Médicos Generales
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aust J Rural Health
Asunto de la revista:
ENFERMAGEM
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Australia