Demographic Characteristics of Occupational Accidents Admitted to the Emergency Department of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Hospital

Aim: It was aimed to evaluate the demographic characteristics of patients who were admitted to our emergency department due to occupational accidents and to examine the outcomes of the forensic reports. Materials and Methods: The electronic files and forensic reports of patients admitted to our emergency department due to occupational accidents between 01.01.2020 and 31.12.2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean age of the 235 cases included in our study was 33.9±10.9 years. The number of male cases was 192 (81.7%) and the number of female cases was 43 (18.3%). The shift with the highest number of occupational accidents was day shift with 125 cases (53.2%). The most common mechanisms of occupational accidents were injuries caused by work machines/tools with 111 (47.2%) cases. In 82 (34.9%) cases, simple soft tissue trauma was the most common diagnosis. Two hundred seventeen (92.3%) of the cases were discharged, while 1 (0.4%) died. In the forensic reports of 48 (20.4%) of the current cases, it was not stated whether their current condition could be resolved by simple medical intervention. A permanent report was written in 2 (0.8%) of all forensic reports. Conclusion: Occupational accidents presenting to our emergency department are most commonly seen in young adult males in their thirties and during day shifts. The mechanism of development of occupational accidents and the diagnoses received by patients differ among health centers. Physicians working in our emergency department tend to share medical and judicial responsibilities with other specialties.