Early Revisit to the Emergency Department: An Integrative Review

Abstract

An unscheduled repeat visit by a patient within a short period after discharge from the emergency department is known as an early revisit. The early ED revisit rate is regarded as a quality of care indicator and a tool for improving the quality of care provided to ED patients. 1 Easter JS Bachur B Physicians’ assessment of pediatric returns to the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 2013; 44: 311-314 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar , 2 Liaw SJ Bullard MJ Hu PM Chen JC Liao HC Rates and causes of emergency department revisits within 72 hours. J Formos Med Assoc. 1999; 98: 422-425 PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Lerman B Kobernick MS Return visits to the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 1987; 5: 359-362 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar , 4 Goh SH Masayu MM Teo PS Tham AH Low BY Unplanned returns to the accident and emergency department—why do they come back?. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 1996; 25: 541-546 PubMed Google Scholar ED staff who care for patients who make an early revisit are responsible for managing patients’ problems with discretion. Patients who make early ED revisits have increased mortality 5 Safwenberg U Terent A Lin L Increased long-term mortality in patients with repeated visits to the emergency department. Eur J Emerg Med. 2010; 17: 274-279 Crossref PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar and are at high risk of medical and legal problems arising from medical errors or patient dissatisfaction. 2 Liaw SJ Bullard MJ Hu PM Chen JC Liao HC Rates and causes of emergency department revisits within 72 hours. J Formos Med Assoc. 1999; 98: 422-425 PubMed Google Scholar Such problems are particularly likely to occur when the early revisit is the result of medical error, earlier unsatisfactory care, or a serious condition requiring admission to an ICU. 6 Nuñez S Hexdall A Aguirre-Jaime A Unscheduled returns to the emergency department: an outcome of medical errors?. Qual Saf Health Care. 2006; 15: 102-108 Crossref PubMed Scopus (110) Google Scholar Staff need to be aware of the potential legal ramifications of these cases. 2 Liaw SJ Bullard MJ Hu PM Chen JC Liao HC Rates and causes of emergency department revisits within 72 hours. J Formos Med Assoc. 1999; 98: 422-425 PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Lerman B Kobernick MS Return visits to the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 1987; 5: 359-362 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar Chin-Yen Han is Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Li-Chin Chen is Deputy Director, Department of Nursing, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Alan Barnard is Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Chun-Chih Lin is Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Ya-Chu Hsiao is Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Hsueh-Erh Liu is Professor, School of Nursing, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Wen Chang is Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, and Doctoral Student, Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taiwan, Republic of China.