ABSTRACT
Background and objective Ramadan is the Muslim's holiest month; it is a time when believers engage in special practices that include fasting from dawn till dusk and making cultural and dietary modifications in their everyday lives. The impact of Ramadan on human activity, sleeping patterns, and circadian rhythms of hormones have been addressed in the literature. Fasting, which constitutes the main pillar of practices during Ramadan and lasts from sunrise to sunset, can significantly affect common health conditions, leading many to seek medical care in the Emergency Department (ED). Hence, it is important to understand the pattern of ED visits and understand the impact caused by fasting during this holy month in a Muslim-majority country. In light of this, this study aimed to gather new insights into the pattern of ED visits during Ramadan at a busy tertiary care center in the period from 2019 to 2021. Methods This study was conducted by reviewing the hospital health information system to gather relevant information in May 2022. Data of patients who visited the ED during Ramadan were collected, as well as during a month prior to and after Ramadan for the purpose of comparison. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical profiles were collected for analysis. Results The total number of ED visits in the three months of Ramadan during the study period (three years) was 33,142, all of which were included in our analysis. Sociodemographic data were analyzed for patients who visited the ED during the month of Ramadan and the two lunar months that precede and succeed Ramadan (Shaban and Shawal). Fever was the most common complaint (16.5%), followed by abdominal pain (14%). When analyzing the findings based on patient age groups, fever was found to be the most prevalent complaint in both adults (15.6%) and pediatric patients (34.4%). Of the total ED patient visits, 7,527 patients were admitted for further care, and 197 patients deceased. Conclusion Our study findings illustrate the change in ED visit patterns during the month of Ramadan in a Muslim-majority country. Also, the type of complaints was affected significantly due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic during the study period. The outcomes in patients reflected substantial progress and outcomes in the ED. These findings highlight that analyzing ED data can help provide accurate information that can be used to help modify/adjust the quality of services provided in the ED. However, these modifications may affect all hospital facilities, not just the ED.
ABSTRACT
Background Drug overdose is a significant healthcare issue and remains a common phenomenon in the emergency department (ED). The incidents have increased over the last few years worldwide. There are a few studies about drug overdose in Saudi Arabia in general and Jeddah city specifically. We aimed to describe the pattern of drug overdoses in the emergency department at an academic hospital in Jeddah between 2015-2022. Methodology A retrospective record review study was done in 2022 at an academic hospital in Jeddah between 2015-2021, where charts were reviewed for all reported patients presenting to the ED with drug overdose, including all ages and both genders. A careful review of their medical records, data collection, and processing was done using Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, California) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, Washington), respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 software (IBM Inc. Armonk, New York). Results Seventy-eight patients were identified, meeting the criteria from the medical records. Most of the patients were children under 12 years of age. Most patients were clinically stable when they arrived at the emergency department. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common clinical presentations, followed by drowsiness, while some patients were non-symptomatic. Analgesics and nonsteroidal were the most common causes of drug overdose. Conclusion We concluded from this limited study that the most commonly used causative agent in drug overdoses was nonsteroidal and analgesics. Moreover, children younger than 12 years of age constituted the majority of drug overdose patients, and accidental overdose represented the majority of cases. Therefore, it is important to increase public awareness of proper child supervision and keep drugs out of children's reach. More research using larger and more representative data is needed to identify patterns of drug overdose in the community.