National report on emergency department applications in Türkiye via the Ministry of Health Communication Center

This study aims to analyze Emergency Department (ED) applications made to the Ministry of Health Communication Center (MOHCC) due to situations encountered during the delivery of emergency health services. The objective is to contribute to the development of in-hospital emergency health services and to provide recommendations for improving these services. This retrospective study examined applications submitted to the Ministry of Health Communication Center regarding ED between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018. Applications were randomly sorted, and every 50th application was included in the study sample. Data recorded included the applicant's degree of proximity, type of emergency, area of evaluation in the ED, personnel presence of violence, method of follow-up and resolution method, and the reasons for the application. The total number of calls was 4,977,748, with 2,088,725 applications made. A total of 955 applications meeting the study criteria were analyzed. Findings showed that 59% of the applications were complaints, while common were notifications, harassment allegations, and expressions of gratitude. The most frequent applications were directed towards secondary EDs at a rate of 53.7%. Additionally, 66.9% of the applications were related to the green area. The personnel involved in the applications were found to be hospital management in 37.9% of the cases. Notably, 15% of the applications contained violent language. The majority of complaints submitted to the MOHCC about emergency departments in Türkiye concerned communication issues (27%), prolonged waiting times, and crowding, particularly in public hospitals and green triage zones. These findings highlight the need to improve both administrative processes and patient-provider communication. Management reforms, professional development of healthcare staff, and effective use of feedback systems like MOHCC are essential to enhance service quality and patient satisfaction.