Annually, Horacio Oduber Hospital (HOH) analyzes visitors who come to the Emergency Room during the festive days. These are the days when every colleague works hard to tend to every patient who arrives with one medical issue or another. First and foremost, HOH would like to thank the team that worked tirelessly during the holidays.
Compared to previous years, this year had an average number of patients who visited our emergency department. A total of 352 patients sought medical attention at the Emergency Room or with the on-call doctor this year. Last year, there were 404 individuals, in 2021 there were 319, in 2020 there were 284, and in 2019 there were 332 individuals.
Similar to last year, the analysis began on December 24th at 6 am and concluded on December 27th at 6 am. Out of the 352 individuals, a total of 175 received medical attention at the Emergency Department, which is almost half. Of the 175 patients, 56% were female. The youngest patient attended to this year was a 20-day-old baby, and the oldest patient was 95 years old. The average age was 44.1.
It is also interesting to analyze the reasons for seeking emergency care. Out of the 175 patients, 55 had various injuries, including 4 involved in a traffic accident, 3 connected to incidents of violence, and 2 cases of intoxication. Other reasons for seeking care included chest pain, stomach pain, vomiting, allergic reactions, infections, and dehydration, among others.
Out of the 175 patients who visited the Emergency Room, a total of 33 were admitted to the hospital. Of the 33 admitted patients, 48% were male, and the most common age group admitted was 65 years and above, accounting for 64%.
Our Emergency Department is there for all emergencies, and our General Practitioner’s Post (HAP) is there for cases that cannot wait until the next day to be attended to by your GP. There, you can discuss your medical condition with a doctor, who can perform a check-up and prescribe medication if necessary. Keep in mind that blood tests, ultrasounds, CT scans, and referrals to specialist offices are not provided.
The hospital requests everyone to take it easy in the last week of 2023. Take care of yourself, take care of each other, and remember that you have a family that loves you waiting at home. And if, in case, you need medical assistance, remember that our HOH family is always there for you!
