Effect of Ramadan on Emergency Department Attendances: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim: Changes in diet and lifestyle are often observed during Ramadan. These changes may affect visits to the emergency department (ED). However, it remains unclear how exactly visits to the ED are affected. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of Ramadan on visits to the ED. Materials and Methods: Hospital records and files of patients aged >17 years who visited a university hospital ED just before, during and immediately after Ramadan from 2014 through 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 44146 ED visits were evaluated. It was found that ED visits were lower during Ramadan than during other months (p<0.001). Further, during Ramadan, there was a significant increase in ED visits one hour after iftar and one hour before sahur (p<0.001). The number of forensic cases significantly decreased during Ramadan (p<0.001). Conclusion: During Ramadan, the number of ED visits decreased and the timing of the ED visits was altered. There was a significant increase in visits one hour after iftar and one hour before sahur.