NON URGENT PATIENTS PRESENTING TO HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
More than half of those visiting emergency departments are non-urgent patients
Prof. Dr. Şahin Çolak, Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Emergency Medicine Foundation, stated that over 50 percent of patients visiting emergency departments in Türkiye present with non-urgent complaints.
Speaking at the 6th International Emergency Medicine Congress—organized by the Turkish Emergency Medicine Foundation at a hotel in the Kemer district of Antalya—Çolak noted that the ease of access to healthcare services is one of the reasons for the high volume in emergency departments.
Explaining that patients arriving at emergency departments are classified based on the urgency of their medical condition through a triage system, Çolak emphasized that a patient’s status must be evaluated by healthcare personnel.
“In Türkiye, more than 50 percent of the patients who come to emergency departments do not actually have an emergency. These individuals are directed to the ‘green zone,’ where they receive their treatment,” Çolak said.
He noted that following triage, patients are examined according to an established order of priority. He added that while the average time for a patient in the “green zone” to see a physician globally is approximately four hours, in Türkiye, this duration remains under one hour—even in the busiest hospitals.
Pointing out that emergency departments can receive a large number of patients in a short span of time—with some clinics admitting between 50 and 100 patients per hour during peak periods—Çolak highlighted that the triage system ensures urgent cases are prioritized for evaluation and treatment.
Development of domestic medical products
Stating that Türkiye possesses significant potential for the development and production of medical products, Çolak mentioned that certain products developed by ASELSAN are already being utilized in the healthcare sector. Stating that domestically produced automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are of vital importance, particularly in cases of cardiac arrest, Çolak explained that these devices facilitate medical intervention by delivering an electric shock to appropriate patients.
Noting that the relevant regulation has been published, Çolak stated that AEDs are expected to see more widespread use in crowded public spaces in the near future. He added that ASELSAN is also working on other medical products, such as cardiopulmonary perfusion systems and digital X-ray devices.
Çolak remarked that Türkiye’s accumulated expertise in healthcare services is beginning to reflect in the production of domestic medical products, and that both the public and private sectors are continuing their efforts in this field.
He further noted that over 1,000 emergency medicine professionals from various regions of Türkiye and several countries around the world attended the congress, where advancements in the field of emergency medicine were evaluated and collaborative solutions were discussed.
