TITLE:
Pattern and Outcome of Diseases among Children Presenting in the Emergency Room of a Tertiary Hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Uchenna C. Onubogu, Boma A. West
KEYWORDS:
Emergency, Children, Malaria, Sepsis, Gastroenteritis, Pneumonia, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
14,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Children’s emergency care is a critical aspect of Paediatric health
care. Evaluation of the emergency room would audit the quality of care provided
and give insight into the epidemiology of the diseases that cause morbidity and
mortality. Aim: To determine the pattern and outcome of diseases seen in
the children’s emergency room. Methodology: This was a retrospective
review of the children’s emergency room register of the Rivers State
University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt Nigeria from Jan 2015 to May 2017. Results:
A total of 1965 patients were evaluated, and there were more males 1082 (55.1%) with an M: F ratio of 1.3 :1, their
ages ranged from one day old to 16 years old
with 57.1% (1131) aged Conclusion: Children within the first 5 years of
life constituted the highest number of patients seen in the children’s emergency
room with male predominance. Infectious diseases accounted for more than
two-thirds of the cases.