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Payday, Effects of the Calendar and Time to Trauma Volume in ED in Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean

DOI: 
10.7727/wimj.2015.129

ABSTRACT

Objective: The objective is to investigate the effects of calendar variation, time and payday on trauma volume in the ED. This can provide information for prevention, work schedule of the hospital and utilization of the medical staff.
Methods: Data of all injured patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) from 2000 until 2013 in Curaçao, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, were provided. In total 14,886 presentations with trauma-related injury were selected. Time was divided in several time frames, taking payday, daylight and weekends into account.
Results: There is significantly more traffic-related trauma at the end of the month after payday (p=0.005) and during weekends (p<0.001). Saturdays show more stab wound- (p=0.036) and molestation-related trauma (p=0.001). Traffic-related trauma are evenly distributed over the day. Firearm-, stab wound- and molestation-related trauma occur mainly at night (p<0.001). There is no difference in incidence per month for all trauma groups.
Conclusion: Frequency varies per time frame and trauma group: traffic-related trauma is evenly distributed over the day and violence-related trauma is mainly at night. Most trauma occurs in the weekend and traffic-related trauma mostly after payday. With this study, medical care could be better organized and thereby improve the healthcare system.

Accepted: 
23 Mar, 2015
e-Published: 07 Jul, 2015

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