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Abstract
Objective: The emergency department (ED) is the hospital unit where 24-hour uninterrupted emergency medical care is provided to patients with urgent medical conditions. If necessary, patients can be referred to higher-level centers. This study retrospectively examined patients referred from a district state hospital to higher-level centers, investigating the reasons for referral and the outcomes of these referrals.
Materials and method: In this study, patients' demographic characteristics, diagnostic groups, reasons for referral, the departments to which they were referred, and how they were managed in the hospitals they were referred to were examined. Additionally, by analyzing when patients were referred, the relationship between patient referrals and the time factor was also investigated.
Results: A total of 29,156 patients applied to the ED between 01.01.2025 and 01.07.2025, and the number of patients referred to other hospitals was 478 (1.6%). The highest number of patient referrals by month was in June (19.2%), by day was on Tuesday (15.9%), and by time interval was between 16:00-23:59 (45.4%). The top three departments for patient referrals were Cardiology (27.8%), Neurology (16.3%), and Pulmonology (14.4%). Of the 478 referred patients, 349 (73.01%) were admitted to the hospital they were referred to.
Conclusion: It was observed that time zones did not create a significant difference in referrals. Referrals were mostly made to the cardiology, neurology, and pulmonary diseases departments. It was seen that the majority of referred patients were admitted, indicating that the referrals were made correctly and effectively.
