Is routine pregnancy test necessary in women of reproductive age admitted to the emergency department?

BACKGROUND:This study aimed to determine the necessity of pregnancy test in women of reproductive age admitted to emergency department(ED) in routine practice.METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who presented to the ED between January 1,2006 and December 31,2010 and received a pregnancy test.RESULTS:The median age of 1 586 patients enrolled into the study was 27 years.Of these patients,19.55%had a positive result of pregnancy test.The most common complaint at admission was abdominal pain in 60.15%of the patients,and pregnancy test was prescribed.15.83%of the patients with abdominal pain had a positive result of pregnancy test.Of the patients,30.64%had nausea-vomiting at admission,and 11.52%had a positive result of pregnancy test.When other complaints were considered,the most commonly observed complaints were non-specific symptoms such as dizziness,malaise and respiratory problems.Of the patients,70.93%were not remembering the date of last menstruation,and 9.51%showed a positive result of pregnancy test.Urinary tract infection(UTI) was commonly diagnosed with an incidence of 17.65%,which was followed by nonspecific abdominal pain(NSAP)(16.77%) and gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis and peptic ulcer(6.87%).Of the patients,88.40%were discharged from ED,and 11.60%were hospitalized.CONCLUSION:Pregnancy test should be given to women of reproductive age as a routine practice in ED in developing countries like Turkey.