A 5-year analysis of admissions, seasonal variation, and patient outcomes in rural Nigeria: A retrospective observational study

Introduction: In low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, there is an observed paucity of data on the admission pattern and patient outcomes in health facilities. Few related studies were conducted in the urban centers, but none from the rural areas where the majority of the populace resides. This study is to ascertain the demographic profile, seasonal variations, yearly distribution, admission pattern, and treatment outcomes at the accident and emergency department (AED). Materials and Methods: A retrospective survey was used to review the data of patients admitted to the AED of the institution between January 2015 and December 2019. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0. The results were presented in descriptive and tabular formats. Results: Five thousand nine hundred and forty-four patients were studied with a mean age of 49.8 ± 19 years. There were 53.9% males and 46.1% females. Many (60.1%) were admitted from April to October. There were 58.9% medical and 41.1% surgical cases. Among the medical cases were 18.6% noncommunicable and 18.5% communicable diseases. Out of 5944 patients, 9435 disease patterns were diagnosed with infectious diseases 15.5%, and orthopedic 14.4% being the most frequently diagnosed medical and surgical cases, respectively. The treatment outcome revealed that the mortality rate was 3.7%. Conclusions: The number of admissions increased over 5 years. Although most patients were treated and discharged successfully, the number discharged against medical advice was high. Therefore, appropriate hospital and community interventions should be implemented to improve admission outcomes. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Patient care and procedural skills, Medical knowledge, and Systems-based practice.