Abstract
Purpose: We performed a retrospective statistical analysis of the pediatric patients who visited the Niigata Municipal Emergency Center late at night and were examined by the pediatric surgeons. Methods: We evaluated seven items including grade of emergency in 1,338 patients who visited the pedi- atrics of the Niigata Municipal Emergency Medical Center in the time zone from 0 : 00 AM to 7 : 00 AM from February 2005 to October 2006. Results: Fever was the most frequent complaint, and accounted for 547 cases. As for the diagnosis, 554 cases and 308 cases of upper respiratory infection and gastroenteritis, respectively, accounted for more than 60% of the patients. According to the necessity of the consultation with the doctors, 11% were considered as necessary, and 63% were as appropriate, while 24% or 2% of the patients were deemed for the self-satisfaction of the parents or unnecessary. Thirty-one percent of parents judged as needing self-satisfaction were fully equipped with medication Conclusions: The present study revealed the current status of the pediatric emergency in Niigata City, which needs further improvement on the doctor side as well as the patient side.
