Dermatology in the Emergency Department

Grant ID: EMSS-360R28-2017

Project Summary

Patients presenting to the Princess Alexandra Hospital Emergency Department with dermatological conditions present a significant demand on resources. It is estimated that in many Emergency Departments (ED) at least one in 25 patients present with a skin condition. Many dermatological presentations may be better managed in an alternative environment either because they are non-urgent or require more specialised and expert care. This project aims to better understand the presentation of skin conditions to a large adult Queensland ED. The research will describe the current diagnosis and management of this cohort to the ED, assess the resource implications and understand the rationale for the patients attending ED instead of a General Practice clinic. The data will provide the information for determining the need for increased GP support such a expansion of tele-dermatology services or for the creation of a local or district acute dermatology clinic.

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Outcomes

The results from this research are pending publication.

The research team reviewed emergency department presentations over a five-year period to understand the number and type of dermatology presentations. They also interviewed a sample of patients in the triage 4 and 5 category.

The team was surprised to find that the majority of dermatological presentations at the Princess Alexandria Hospital Emergency Department were appropriate. They did, however, suggest a change in patient management to reduce the number of presentations and length of stay for these patients.

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Dissemination

Shao, E., Judge, C., McMeniman, E., Bazianas, T. and Eley, R., 2020. Presenting patterns of dermatology conditions to an Australian emergency department. World journal of emergency medicine, 11(2), p.74.

Conference
- Shao E., Judge C., Bazianas T., Eley R.,"Presenting patterns of dermatology conditions to an Australian emergency department", 6th Continental Conference of Dermatology, Taipei Taiwan Nov 16-18, 2018. [Oral]

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