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Vol 4, No 2 (2019)
Research paper
Published online: 2019-08-06
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Analysis of Patients Who Present to Emergency Departments During Ramadan

Togay Evrin1, İlker Akbaş2, Abdullah Osman Koçak3, Sibel Güçlü Utlu4, Burak Katipoğlu1, Lukas Szarpak5, Meryem Betos Koçak6, Zeynep Çakır3
DOI: 10.5603/DEMJ.2019.0008
·
Disaster Emerg Med J 2019;4(2):33-41.
Affiliations
  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Ufuk University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Türkiye
  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Bingöl State Hospital, Bingöl, Türkiye
  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ataturk, Erzurum, Türkiye
  4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Erzurum Education and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Türkiye
  5. Lazarski University, Medical Faculty, Warsaw, Poland
  6. Department of Family Medicine, University of Ataturk,, Erzurum, Türkiye

open access

Vol 4, No 2 (2019)
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Published online: 2019-08-06

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Fasting is one of the five basic obligations of Islam. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan according to the lunar calendar. Fasting during Ramadan involves abstinence from food and drinks from sunrise to sunset. The present study investigated the effect of fasting during Ramadan in patients who presented to emergency departments. Results of this study may guide healthcare authorities in countries that provide health services to Muslim communities because of increased migration.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is the first prospective multicentre study to examine emergency department applications for Ramadan. The study was performed between 05.26.2017 and 06.24.2017. Patients were classified according to cardiopulmonary complaints, trauma-associated complaints, neurological complaints, gastrointestinal complaints, headache, renal colic, upper respiratory tract complaints, and malaise. Vital signs, age, gender, presentation type, complaint type, hospital stay duration, requested laboratory examination, radiological examination, treatment outcomes, application time, smoking status, and fasting status of the study patients were recorded by using a questionnaire.

RESULTS: Fasting and non-fasting patients showed a significant difference with respect to presentation type, gastrointestinal complaints, upper respiratory tract complaints, hospitalization status, requested radiological and biochemical examinations, hospitalization duration, and application time (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: To the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to compare the complaints of fasting and non-fasting patients during Ramadan. The authors feel that this study is superior to several previous studies because it has been performed using a different perspective and provides more accurate and objective data than those reported in previous studies.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Fasting is one of the five basic obligations of Islam. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan according to the lunar calendar. Fasting during Ramadan involves abstinence from food and drinks from sunrise to sunset. The present study investigated the effect of fasting during Ramadan in patients who presented to emergency departments. Results of this study may guide healthcare authorities in countries that provide health services to Muslim communities because of increased migration.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is the first prospective multicentre study to examine emergency department applications for Ramadan. The study was performed between 05.26.2017 and 06.24.2017. Patients were classified according to cardiopulmonary complaints, trauma-associated complaints, neurological complaints, gastrointestinal complaints, headache, renal colic, upper respiratory tract complaints, and malaise. Vital signs, age, gender, presentation type, complaint type, hospital stay duration, requested laboratory examination, radiological examination, treatment outcomes, application time, smoking status, and fasting status of the study patients were recorded by using a questionnaire.

RESULTS: Fasting and non-fasting patients showed a significant difference with respect to presentation type, gastrointestinal complaints, upper respiratory tract complaints, hospitalization status, requested radiological and biochemical examinations, hospitalization duration, and application time (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: To the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to compare the complaints of fasting and non-fasting patients during Ramadan. The authors feel that this study is superior to several previous studies because it has been performed using a different perspective and provides more accurate and objective data than those reported in previous studies.

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Keywords

ramadan; fasting; patient care; demographic analysis; emergency

About this article
Title

Analysis of Patients Who Present to Emergency Departments During Ramadan

Journal

Disaster and Emergency Medicine Journal

Issue

Vol 4, No 2 (2019)

Article type

Research paper

Pages

33-41

Published online

2019-08-06

Page views

901

Article views/downloads

657

DOI

10.5603/DEMJ.2019.0008

Bibliographic record

Disaster Emerg Med J 2019;4(2):33-41.

Keywords

ramadan
fasting
patient care
demographic analysis
emergency

Authors

Togay Evrin
İlker Akbaş
Abdullah Osman Koçak
Sibel Güçlü Utlu
Burak Katipoğlu
Lukas Szarpak
Meryem Betos Koçak
Zeynep Çakır

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