Abstract
Two thousands and twenty-three patients were treated at the Dapartment of Pediatrics, the Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, at night or on holiday under emergency basis during three years beginning from 1971. This figure matched approximately 24 % of all emergencies in the Hospital during the same period of time. Eighty-four per cent of patients were under 5 years of age and a fifth was treated in the early morning (0-8 A.M.). Two-thirds of patients received medical care only once or twice at the Department solely as emergency. Chief-complaints were classified as fever (47.5%), abdominal pain (9.2%), nausea and vomiting (9.0%), and convulsions (6.2%) in the order of frequency. Classifying them by disease, they were constituted by common cold (48%), respiratory tract disease other than common cold (9.6%), alimentary tract disease (15.2%) including acute infantile diarrhea, gastroenterocolitis and cyclic vomiting, nervous system disease (9.7%) including febrile convulsions, night-cry and epilepsy, and infectious disease (6.7%) including measles, exanthema subitum, mumps and chickenpox. Incidences of respiratory tract disease excluding common cold, gastroenterocolitis, constipation, febrile convulsions, night-cry and urticaria were significantly higher in the early morning than other overtime. Admissions were needed only 8.5%.
From the foregoing statistics, we can draw following inferences, the most of these patients were brought to the hospital from apprehensions of their parents and we must continue to instruct the parents to reduce their unnecessary anxiety and what they should do first at the time of emergency.
