Increase the “emergency” reviews .. 4 innovative solutions to reduce pressure and reduce waiting periods

The UAE is witnessing an accelerated population growth thanks to economic achievements and continuous development, in addition to the prosperity of the tourism sector, which attracts millions of visitors annually, which led to an increase in the number of auditors for emergency departments in hospitals, and despite the efficiency of the health sector, and its advanced medical facilities and high -level care services, but some emergency departments face increasing pressure during peak times, which leads to a relative delay in Providing services, and the length of waiting periods, to ensure the provision of services at the highest level of quality and efficiency and meet the needs of various individuals in light of the development of the health and sustainable health sector.

The latest statistics issued by the Emirates Health Services Corporation for the number of emergency departments references, and “Emirates Today” reviewed a copy of it, about the high number of emergency departments in 16 hospitals affiliated with them during the past year 2024, where the total number of auditors reached 731 thousand and 581 auditors, compared to 701 thousand and 772 auditors in 2023, which represents an increase of 29 thousand And 809 thousand references, and a growth rate of 4.2% in one year.

The number of visits to emergency patients was distributed during the year 2024, by 6616 auditors in Dubai, 339 thousand and 88 auditors in Sharjah, 34 thousand and 654 auditors in Umm Al Quwain, 195 thousand and 518 auditors in Ras Al Khaimah, 155 thousand and 705 thousand auditors in Fujairah.

A number of specialized doctors told «Emirates Today» that the increase in the number of emergency references, during the past year, is due to several reasons, including the confidence of community members of the ability and capabilities of the emergency departments in dealing with various emergency cases, and the possession of all workers in the country health insurance, in addition to the speed of diagnosis in the emergency departments, in addition to the seasonal increase of emergency cases of patients as a result of weather changes.

They added that the emergency departments are experiencing increasing pressure during peak periods (after four o’clock until 11 pm), especially for the elderly and children, in addition to a lack of awareness of the initial health services available in health centers or specialized clinics, which leads to some patients resorting to emergency even in non -emergency cases, which requires the organization of work accurate Patients, according to their health, to ensure the appropriate care of time, and deal with this pressure quickly and efficiently.

They suggested four innovative solutions to deal with this increase, which are: launching or developing new health consulting services (remote), especially for emergency departments only, to direct patients for appropriate solutions before going to emergencies, enhancing rapid emergency sorting services to determine medical priorities and cases that need immediate medical intervention effectively through specialized medical staff, and expanding the scope of urgent care services outside hospitals through health centers Specialized, employing more qualified medical cadres to reduce pressure on the current crews, and these solutions aim to improve the efficiency of emergency services, and reduce waiting periods, while ensuring that effective and fast health care is provided.

Great confidence

In detail, a consultant and head of the Department of Emergency Medicine, in Burjeel Medical City, Dr. Nidal Shawish, stressed that health care provided in the UAE is among the best in the world, as the state seeks to provide health services at the highest level, indicating that population growth in the country contributes to an annual increase in the numbers of patients, as this rise is in line with global rates by up to 5% annually, as a result of the population increase and the increasing number For residents of the state.

He added that the great confidence of the medical cadres operating in the UAE, in addition to the ability of hospitals to deal with any health condition, contributes to increasing the demand for emergency departments, which enhances confidence in the health care system, as a result of the availability of various medical specializations that patients may need in emergency departments throughout the country, which contributes to providing treatment quickly and effectively.

He pointed out that the emergency departments are experiencing increasing pressure during peak periods, especially after four o’clock until 11 o’clock at night, adding that the elderly and children are the most visited category during these periods, which requires organizing work accurately, providing qualified medical cadres and elaborate management, including classification of patients according to their health conditions, to ensure the provision of appropriate care in time, and deal with this pressure quickly and efficiently.

In the context of solutions to deal with this pressure, Dr. Shawish proposed four main solutions, including community awareness of emergency alternatives, such as health centers and specialized clinics, and the development of rapid sorting systems for cases once they enter emergency departments, through a specialized crew, to ensure the speed of dealing with emergency cases, and enhance digital services such as consulting “remoteness”, and smart applications that help to evaluate health conditions before Going to emergency, and increase the medical cadres specialized in emergency departments to meet the increasing needs.

He pointed out that some hospitals are currently working to extend the working hours in specialized clinics and family medicine clinics, to receive patients who do not need to enter the emergency departments, and thus reduce pressure on these departments, stressing that these initiatives aim to transfer auditors who do not need emergency entering into specialized clinics, which contributes to reducing congestion on the emergency departments.

Seasonal diseases

For his part, a consultant and head of the emergency department, Dr. Youssef Abboud, said that the UAE is a global tourist destination, attracting millions of tourists annually, which increases the number of cases that require immediate medical intervention, whether they are injuries or sudden diseases during residency, and that traffic accidents, despite the great efforts to improve traffic safety, contribute to increasing reviews of emergency departments.

He explained that the increase in the number of patients in the emergency departments is often seasonal, as this increase is related to weather changes and the change of the seasons of the year, as well as various seasonal diseases, pointing out that the current period is witnessing an increase in respiratory cases associated with high temperature, fever and other seasonal diseases.

He added that the increase in the number of emergency departments in the hospital is due to several factors, most notably the lack of awareness of the initial health services available in health centers or specialized clinics, leading to some patients resorting to emergency even in non -emergency cases, in addition to the changes in lifestyle as a result of the lack of physical activity and increasing dependence on fast food, which causes increased infection with chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease that requires An emergency intervention if it exacerbated.

High quality services

Emergency doctor Ahmed Samir stressed that the UAE has a good reputation in providing high -quality health services, which makes it a destination for treatment from neighboring countries, in addition to the availability of a health insurance system for all workers in the country, which gives them a visit to the emergency departments at any time without a prior appointment to receive treatment, and this may increase the pressure on the emergency departments that health authorities have been keen to prepare with the latest technologies to treat patients, which makes them the first option for individuals in health conditions The emergency, and he said that the delay in the emergency departments of the emergency departments sometimes is due to the fact that there are other more critical cases that require urgent intervention from all medical departments and nurses, as the emergency department depends on giving priority to cases that constitute a direct threat to life or that requires a rapid intervention to prevent serious complications, so patients may wait in less critical cases until the most serious cases are treated, which leads to what leads to They are delayed in receiving care, and this arrangement depends on the principle of “classification according to priority”, where treatment is provided based on the severity of the patient’s health condition.

He pointed out that the lack of medical cadres in outpatient clinics leads to directing patients to emergency departments even in non -emergency cases, pointing out that the resident workers, who may face difficulties in reaching health services due to linguistic and cultural barriers, tend to resort to emergency more, stressing the need to increase the number of medical cadres in all hospital departments, to accommodate the increasing numbers of patients.

“Emirates Health”:

. 4.2 %increased auditors in 16 hospitals during 2024.