Profile of patients visiting the emergency departments at Haji Adam Malik and Universitas Sumatera Utara hospitals in Medan, Indonesia

OBJECTIVES: Data on the patient profiles and characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits are crucial for enhancing hospital emergency care resources and developing a more effective emergency healthcare unit. The aim of this study was to report the characteristics and trends of pediatric ED visits at Haji Adam Malik (HAM) and Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) hospitals in Medan, Indonesia, during the year 2020. METHODS: This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted in HAM Hospital and USU Hospital, using patient medical records data extracted from the hospital information systems for the period January to December 2020. RESULTS: This study included 3462 pediatric patients as participants. The majority of the patients in this study were male (57.8%), and the most represented age group was 11–18 years (35.8%). Trauma/injury was the most common ED diagnosis at HAM Hospital, whereas unspecified fever was the most common reason for visits to the ED at USU Hospital. The majority of patients attending the ED at HAM Hospital were hospitalized, while the majority at USU Hospital were treated as outpatients. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the most frequent diagnosis in the ED was trauma/injury at HAM Hospital and unspecified fever at USU Hospital.