Exploring emergency department visits: factors influencing individuals’ decisions, knowledge of triage systems and waiting times, and experiences during visits to a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of respondents

Variable	Category	N	%
Age group (years)	Mean ± SD (32.9 ± 11.67)
	Under 20	27	9
	20–29	105	37
	30–39	71	25
	40–49	49	17
	50 and over	34	12
Sex	Male	165	50
Sex	Female	163	50
Education	Did not complete high school	37	12
	Completed high school	128	40
	Diploma	33	10
	Bachelor and higher	120	38
Occupation	Unemployed	150	48
	Private work	13	4
	Health sector	12	4
	Military sector	80	26
	Government sector (not health)	31	10
	Private sector (not health)	17	6
	Other	7	2
Marital status	Married	180	56
	Single	121	37
	Widowed/divorced	23	7
Residence	In Riyadh	291	89
Residence	Outside Riyadh	36	11
Family income/per month (Saudi Riyal)	< 5000	91	29
	5000–9999	139	44
	10,000–14,999	44	14
	≥ 15,000	39	13
When did this problem started?	Today	101	30
When did this problem started?	Not today	233	70
Are you a patient waiting to be seen or a family member	Patient	147	46
	Family member	161	51
	Friend/co-worker	10	3
Do you have a primary care doctor or other health provider	No	232	84
Do you have a primary care doctor or other health provider	Yes	45	16
Did you try to call your primary care doctor before coming to the ED?	No	22	55
	Yes	18	45
If yes, what did the office say?	No appointments	4	24
	Too sick—need to go to ED	8	47
	Need further testing - that the doctor’s office cannot do	4	24
	Other	1	6
What is your main reason for coming to the emergency department?	Regular care here	85	29
	Excellence in care	127	43
	Insurance reasons	11	4
	Other financial reasons	13	4
	My doctor told me to come	30	10
	Close to where I live/work	29	10

ISSN: 1865-1380