Building a research-ready database of rural emergency presentations: the RAHDaR pilot study

OBJECTIVES: A small amount of data from rural emergency facilities is collated with large urban datasets, but there are no dedicated rural emergency datasets. METHODS: A network of 10 rural hospitals provided ongoing detailed emergency presentation data. RESULTS: Of 59 044 emergency presentations, 25 237 patients were managed entirely at the small local hospital, including 586 triage category 2 cardiac patients, 5663 paediatric patients and 310 mental health clients. CONCLUSIONS: The RAHDaR dataset includes high-risk presentations managed entirely at low resource sites and, as further sites are added, will tackle the biases that can misrepresent the performance of small rural hospitals.