Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 3rd Floor A wing, New Medical College Building, Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Sector 5, Nerul (East), Navi Mumbai
*Corresponding author: Amit Patil, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 3rd Floor A wing, New Medical College Building, Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Sector 5, Nerul (East), Navi Mumbai 400706, Maharashtra, India. E mail: dramp1976@gmail.com. Contact No: +919920193750
Online published on 23 July, 2013.
To study the case mix pattern of emergency cases attending the casualty department by grouping them under various specialties and to analyze the disposition of such patients. Another objective was to determine the pattern of medicolegal cases attending the casualty department.
A total 500 cases of patients attending the casualty were studied from the casualty records. The data was collected from the casualty registers/records and the medical record department. To study the case mix pattern, the patients coming to the casualty were grouped under the broad speciality headings of Medical, Surgical, Orthopedic, Pediatrics and Others.
The analysis revealed that highest number of patients attending casualty belonged to Medicine and its allied speciality. It was found that large proportions of patients attending the casualty department were casual attenders and as such did not constitute real clinical emergencies.
It can be concluded that almost 50% of the patients attending the casualty department had trivial complaints which did not required much attention. The massive influx of such casual attendees results into increase workload on the staff especially on the junior medical and paramedical staff.
Casualty, Emergency Medicine Department, Case Mix Pattern, Casual Attenders
