The Profile of Women Attending the National Maternity Hospital Emergency Out Of Hours Service – Two Decades On. A Retrospective Review.

Introduction This study aimed to review the profile of women attending an out of hours emergency service (OHS) in a maternity hospital and compare it to a previous study. Methods Retrospective study. Demographic information was recorded including timing of presentation, reason and outcome. Results In 2017, 9,020 women attended the OHS, a 334% increase since 1993. On detailed review of 2,143 charts, most (84.7%, n=1,815) were antenatal. The most common reason for presenting to the OHS then was first trimester bleeding. In 2017, over half of antenatal women (51%, n=1,092) presented with “other” reasons, such as vomiting, hypertension or suspected pre-eclampsia. Admission rates significantly decreased from 1993 (38% (n=1,053) in 1993 vs. 16% (n=338) in 2017; p<0.05). Discussion Numbers attending for emergency maternity care have increased in both numbers and variety of presentations. It is important that women are seen and cared for in a compassionate, kind and evidence based manner.