Emergency department walk-in patients study.

We conducted a 25-week study of the emergency department's (ED) walk-in patients at a university hospital, covering 20% of the total period by a Latin square method of 6-h blocks. One thousand eight hundred walk-in patients entered the study group. The walk-in population represents approximately 44% of the total ED population. Our results reveal that the study population was predominantly male, aged less than 40 years but somewhat younger than the general population and had a relatively stable place of abode. Trauma and medical patients were respectively 46% and 53%. Eight-six per cent of the trauma patients came to the ED on their own initiative and less than 3 h after the accident or injury, while 43% of the medical patients were referred by a medical practitioner and had a relatively longer duration of symptoms. Forty-eight per cent of the medical patients visited the ED 12 h after the onset of symptoms. Although this study only concerned ED walk-in patients, the admission rate of medical patients is relatively high: 47% as opposed to the trauma patients' 10%. About 10% of the walk-in patients were classified as 'symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions' according to the International Classification of Diseases 9. Fifty-two per cent of these patients were discharged home. This group of patients requires further investigation.