A three-year overview of the pattern and outcome of medical conditions in the medical wards of a Federal Medical Centre

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Hospital admissions reflect the pattern of illnesses in society, and its documentation in various localities may provide clues on decision-making and implementations in the health sector. This study aimed to ascertain the reasons for admission and outcome in the medical wards of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Nigeria. METHODS: The medical records of all patients admitted into the medical wards during the study were retrospectively reviewed. Disease classification was done according to the ICD-10 classification system. Relevant data were obtained from the admission and discharge registers and were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version- 22. RESULTS: A total of 1,782 subjects comprising 933 males (52.4%) and 849 females (47.6%) were represented in the final data analysis. The majority of the admitted patients were in their 6th and 7th decade of life (18.5% and 18.6%, respectively). Cardiovascular diseases were the commonest indication for annual medical admission, with a cumulative frequency of 35.5%. Stroke and heart failure were the most common cardiovascular diseases. Infectious diseases were the second leading cause of medical admission (19.5%). The least common medical disorders were rheumatological dermatological and toxicological conditions representing 0.5%, 0.2%, and 0.2%, respectively, of all medical admissions. The overall mortality during the study period is 16.5%, with malignant diseases being the leading cause of death. CONCLUSION: This study reflects the epidemics of non-communicable diseases in developing countries and the need for policymakers to be aware of this trend without neglecting to prevent infectious diseases, whose burden is still high.

Keywords

• medical admissions
• medical illnesses
• health system
• medical wards
• outcome