Pre-duty Factors that Affect the Number of Patients Receiving Services at the Emergency Unit of a Community Hospital

Introduction: A high volume of patients may lead to Emergency unit overcrowding which affects the patient care process and worsening patient outcomes. Objectives: To explore pre-duty factors that affect the number of patients receiving services at the emergency unit of Bangkhla hospital (community hospital) during the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 May 2024. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The study included all patients visiting the emergency unit and staff on duty at Bangkhla hospital during the study period. A multivariable Poisson regression was used to identify potential factors. Results: A total of 454 shiftwork records were included for final analysis. Non-staff factors such as shiftwork [morning (mean difference = 52.88, 95% CI; 49.84 to 55.92, p-value <0.001, power = 1.000), evening (mean difference = 26.32, 95% CI; 24.36 to 28.29, p-value <0.001, power = 1.000)] and official hours (mean difference = –21.52, 95% CI; –24.71 to –18.33, p-value <0.001, power = 1.000) were identified as significant factors that affect the number of patients receiving services at the emergency unit. Staff factors have a trend to no clinical effect on the number of patients receiving services. Conclusions: Pre-duty factors that affect the number of patients receiving services at the emergency unit were shiftwork and official hours.