Rates Of Emergency Department Research Articles

Use of CYP2D6 Inhibitors with CYP2D6 Opioids: Association with Emergency Department Visits for Pain.

Hydrocodone, tramadol, codeine, and oxycodone are commonly prescribed opioids that rely on activation by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). CYP2D6 inhibitors can significantly decrease CYP2D6 activity, leading to reduced generation of active metabolites, and impairing pain control. To understand this impact, we assessed emergency department (ED) visits in patients initiating these CYP2D6-dependent opioids while on CYP2D6-inhibitor antidepressants vs. antidepressants that do not inhibit CYP2D6. This retrospective cohort study included adult patients prescribed CYP2D6-dependent opioids utilizing electronic health records data from the University of Florida Health (2015-2021). The association between ED visits and inhibitor exposure was tested using multivariable logistic regression. The primary analysis had 12,118 patients (72% female; mean (SD) age, 55 (13.4)) in the hydrocodone/tramadol/codeine cohort and 5,547 patients (64% female; mean (SD) age, 53.6 (14.2)) in the oxycodone cohort. Hydrocodone/tramadol/codeine-treated patients exposed to CYP2D6-inhibitor antidepressants (n = 7,043) had a higher crude rate of pain-related ED visits than those taking other antidepressants (n = 5,075) (3.28% vs. 1.87%), with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.75 (95% CI: 1.36 to 2.24). Similarly, in the oxycodone cohort, CYP2D6-inhibitor antidepressant-exposed individuals (n = 3,206) had a higher crude rate of ED visits than individuals exposed to other antidepressants (n = 2,341) (5.02% vs. 3.37%), with aOR of 1.70 (95% CI: 1.27-2.27). Similar findings were observed in secondary and sensitivity analyses. Our findings suggest patients with concomitant use of hydrocodone/tramadol/codeine or oxycodone and CYP2D6 inhibitors have more frequent ED visits for pain, which may be due to inadequate pain control.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Adenovirus 40/41, Astrovirus, and Sapovirus in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis in Kansas City 2011-2016.

Most U.S. acute gastroenteritis (AGE) episodes in children are attributed to norovirus, whereas very little information is available on adenovirus 40/41 (AdV40/41), astrovirus or sapovirus. The New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) conducted prospective, active, population-based AGE surveillance in young children. We tested and typed stool specimens collected between December 2011 to June 2016 from one NVSN site in Kansas City for the three viruses, and calculated hospitalization and emergency department (ED) detection rate. Of 3,205 collected specimens, 2,453 (76.5%) were from AGE patients (339 inpatients and 2,114 ED patients) and 752 (23.5%) were from healthy controls (HC). In AGE patients, astrovirus was detected in 94 (3.8%), sapovirus in 252 (10.3%) and AdV40/41 in 101 (4.5%) of 2249 patients. In HC, astrovirus was detected in 13 (1.7%) and sapovirus in 15 (2.0%) specimens. Astrovirus type 1 (37.7%) and genogroup I sapoviruses (59.3%) were most prevalent.Hospitalization rates were 5 (AdV40/41), 4 (astrovirus) and 8 (sapovirus) per 100,000 children <11 years old, whereas ED rates were 2.4 (AdV40/41), 1.9 (astrovirus) and 5.3 (sapovirus) per 1000 children <5 years old. Overall, AdV40/41, astrovirus, and sapovirus were detected in 18.6% of AGE in a large pediatric hospital in Kansas City.

Emergency Department Use in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Early Survivors from 2006 to 2020.

Purpose: Understanding emergency department (ED) use in adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors could identify gaps in AYA survivorship. Methods: We conducted a cohort study of 7925 AYA survivors (aged 15-39 years at diagnosis) who were 2-5 years from diagnosis in 2006-2020 at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. We calculated ED utilization rates overall and by indication of the encounter (headache, cardiac issues, and suicide attempts). We estimated rate changes by survivorship year and patient factors associated with ED visit using a Poisson model. Results: Cohort was 65.4% women, 45.8% Hispanic, with mean age at diagnosis at 31.3 years. Overall, 38% of AYA survivors had ≥1 ED visit (95th percentile: 5 ED visits). Unadjusted ED rates declined from 374.2/1000 person-years (PY) in Y2 to 327.2 in Y5 (p change < 0.001). Unadjusted rates declined for headache, cardiac issues, and suicide attempts. Factors associated with increased ED use included: age 20-24 at diagnosis [relative risk (RR) = 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.56 vs. 35-39 years]; female (RR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.11-1.47 vs. male); non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity (RR 1.64, 95% CI 1.38-1.95 vs. non-Hispanic white); comorbidity (RR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.16-1.55 for 1 and RR 1.80, 95% CI 1.40-2.30 for 2+ vs. none); and public insurance (RR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.70-2.32 vs. private). Compared with thyroid cancer, cancers associated with increased ED use were breast (RR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.24-1.70), cervical (RR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.76-2.71), colorectal (RR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.94-2.81), and sarcoma (RR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.88). Conclusion: ED utilization declined as time from diagnosis elapsed, but higher utilization was associated with social determinants of health and cancer types.

Emergency Department Use Among Combat and Non-Combat Post-9/11 Military Veterans.

Most post-9/11 Veterans have completed at least 1 combat deployment-a known factor associated with adverse health outcomes. Such Veterans are known to have unmet health care needs, and the emergency department (ED) may serve as a safety net, yet little is known about whether combat status is associated with more frequent ED use. We sought to evaluate the relationship between combat status and frequency of ED use among post-9/11 Veterans and assess the most common reasons for ED visits. This retrospective cohort study consisted of post-9/11 Veterans who enrolled in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care between fiscal years (FYs) 2005 and 2015. Data were obtained from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse. Incidence rates for ED visits for combat and non-combat Veterans were compared from FY 2010 to 2019 using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. The most frequent reasons for ED visits were determined using International Classification of Diseases codes. This study was approved by the Stanford Institutional Review Board. Among 1.3 million Veterans included in analyses, 70.4% had deployed to a combat zone. The mean (SD) age of our cohort was 32.6 (5.0) years and 83.5% of Veterans were male. After controlling for other factors, combat Veterans had 1.84 times the rate of ED visits compared to non-combat Veterans (95% CI, 1.83-1.85). Only combat Veterans had a mental health-related ED visit (suicidal ideations) among the top 3 reasons for ED presentation. Those who deployed to a combat zone had a significantly higher rate of ED use compared to those who did not. Further, mental health-related ED diagnoses appeared to be more prevalent in combat Veterans. These findings highlight the unique health care needs faced by combat Veterans and emphasize the importance of tailored interventions and support services for this specific population.

Trends in emergency department visits during cold weather seasons among patients experiencing homelessness in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective population-based cohort study.

Recent anecdotal reports suggest increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness are visiting emergency departments (EDs) during cold weather seasons due to inadequate shelter availability. We examined monthly ED visits among patients experiencing homelessness to determine whether there has been a significant increase in such visits in 2022/2023 compared to prior years. We used linked health administrative data to identify cohorts experiencing homelessness in Ontario between October and March of the 2018/2019 to 2022/2023years. We analyzed the monthly rate of non-urgent ED visits as a proxy measure of visits plausibly attributable to avoidance of cold exposure, examining rates among patients experiencing homelessness compared to housed patients. We excluded visits for overdose or COVID-19. We assessed level and significance of change in the 2022/2023year as compared to previous cold weather seasons using Poisson regression. We identified a total of 21,588 non-urgent ED visits across the observation period among patients experiencing homelessness in Ontario. Non-urgent ED visits increased 27% (RR 1.24 [95% CI 1.14-1.34]) in 2022/2023 compared to previous cold weather seasons. In Toronto, such visits increased by 70% (RR 1.68 [95% CI 1.57-1.80]). Among housed patients, non-urgent ED visits did not change significantly during this time period. Rates of ED visits plausibly attributable to avoidance of cold exposure by individuals experiencing homelessness increased significantly in Ontario in 2022/2023, most notably in Toronto. This increase in ED visits may be related to inadequate access to emergency shelter beds and warming services in the community.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, its related social restriction measures and vaccination campaign on emergency department attendances for epileptic seizures: An interrupted time-series analysis

AimTo investigate the impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, its related social restriction measure (national lockdown) and vaccination campaign on emergency department (ED) accesses for epileptic seizures. MethodsRetrospective observational analysis conducted on a consecutive cohort of patients who sought medical care at the ED of the General Hospital of Merano, Italy, from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021. We investigated the monthly ED attendances for epileptic seizures between the periods before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown (March 2020) using an interrupted time-series analysis with data standardized for 1000 accesses/month. As a further temporal cutoff, we used the start of the national vaccination campaign. ResultsBetween January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2021, a total of 415,005 ED attendances were recorded; 1,254 (0.3 %) were due to epileptic seizures. No significant difference was found in the rate of standardized ED accesses for epileptic seizures in March 2020 (time point of interest) to the pre-pandemic trend (0.33/1000; 95 %CI: −1.05 to 1.71; p = 0.637). Similarly, there was no difference between the pre- and post-pandemic trends (-0.02/1000; 95 %CI: −0.11 to 0.06; p = 0.600). When adopting January 2021 as time point of interest, we found no difference to the pre-vaccination trend (0.83/1000; 95 %CI: −0.48 to 2.15), and no difference in the pre- and post-vaccination trends (-0.12/1000; 95 %CI: −0.27 to 0.04). ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic and its related social restrictions (lockdown), as well as the COVID-19 national vaccination campaign, had little impact on ED accesses for epileptic seizures.

Emergency department visits by nursing home residents. A retrospective Italian study of administrative databases from 2015 to 2019

BackgroundVisits to Emergency Departments (ED) can be traumatic for Nursing Home (NH) residents. In Italy, the rate of ED visits by NH residents was recently calculated as 3.3%. The reduction of inappropriate ED visits represents a priority for National Healthcare Systems worldwide. Nevertheless, research on factors associated with ED visits is still under-studied in the Italian setting. This study has two main aims: (i) to describe the baseline characteristics of NH residents visiting ED at regional level; (ii) to assess the characteristics, trends, and factors associated with these visits.MethodsA retrospective study of administrative data for five years was performed in the Piedmont Region. Data from 24,208 NH residents were analysed. Data were obtained by merging two ministerial databases of residential care and ED use. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the residents, trends, and rates of ED visits were collected. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) regression was used to evaluate the factors associated with ED visits.ResultsIn 5 years, 12,672 residents made 24,609 ED visits. Aspecific symptoms (45%), dyspnea (17%) and trauma (16%) were the most frequent problems reported at ED. 51% of these visits were coded as non-critical, and 58% were discharged to the NH. The regression analysis showed an increased risk of ED visits for men (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.51–1.70) and for residents with a stay in NH longer than 400 days (OR = 2.19, 95% CI 2.08–2.31).ConclusionsOur study indicates that more than half of NH residents’ ED visits could potentially be prevented by treating residents in NH. Investments in the creation of a structured and effective network within primary care services, promoting the use of health technology and palliative care approaches, could reduce ED visits and help clinicians manage residents on-site and remotely.

Early Discharge after Enhanced Recovery Colectomy Does Not Increase Emergency Department Visits and Readmissions: A Single Institution Analysis.

Same-day discharge after colorectal surgery in enhanced recovery pathways is increasing. This study aimed to determine if discharge on postoperative days (POD) one or two is associated with increased rates of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions after left and right colectomy. Single institution retrospective analysis of prospective institutional colorectal surgery database between 07/01/2018 and 07/15/2022. Primary outcomes were ED visit and readmission rates for enhanced recovery open and minimally invasive right and left colectomy using logistic regressions models. 820 patients met inclusion criteria. There were significant differences in discharge-day by diagnosis-58.5% of patients with Crohn's disease were discharged on POD ≥4 and 21.6% with benign colon neoplasia were discharged on POD-0-1 (P < .001). ED visits occurred in 12.9% of the study population and were not significantly different between discharge-day groups (P = .096). Overall readmission rate was 8.5% and significantly different between discharge-day groups (0% POD-0 vs 8.3% POD-1 vs 5.8% POD-2 vs 6.9% POD-3 vs 12.9% POD ≥4, P = .041). Logistic regression showed that ED visits and readmissions for longer discharge-days (POD-2, POD-3, POD ≥4) were not significantly different than POD-0-1. Readmission diagnoses for the study population were higher for ileus (17.1%) and surgical site infection (SSI) type-III (22.9%) than for acute kidney injury (1.4%) and SSI type-I/II (1.4%). Early discharge after left and right colectomy is not associated with increased rates of ED visits and readmissions. Same-day discharge may be feasible in selected enhanced recovery patients. Standardized post-discharge resources that safely allow same-day discharge require further investigation.

Hospital usage for oral and dental conditions in Hawaii: A cross-sectional study using the 2021 Hawaii statewide hospital data.

To investigate the frequency of emergency department (ED) usage primarily for oral/dental conditions in Hawaii and to examine social-demographic factors associated with the identified ED visits. This was a cross-sectional study of the 2021 Hawaii Statewide Hospital data. We identified records indicating ED usage and a primary diagnosis of non-traumatic dental conditions (NTDC) and other oral dental conditions (OODC). Descriptive analyses of ED visits for NTDC and OODC were performed to identify vulnerable individuals based on age, sex, race/ethnicity, primary source of payment, county of residence, and total charges per hospital record. A multivariable negative binomial regression model included age, sex, and county of residence was used to obtain adjusted rate ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of ED visits for NTDC. Among hospital records with diagnoses for oral or dental conditions (n = 12,336), 97% indicated ED, of which half had an NTDC diagnosis, and the remaining half had an OODC diagnosis. Distinct differences in the characteristics of ED visits were observed between NTDC and OODC. The median total charges per record indicating ED for NTDC and OODC were $1439 and $2439, respectively. A higher rate of ED visits for NTDC was found for those aged 21-44 (aRR [95%CI] = 3.02 [2.41, 3.80], reference: 0-9 years) and those living in a less populous county (Hawaii: 1.73 [1.43, 2.07]; Kauai: 1.78 [1.45, 2.19], reference: Honolulu). Continued effort to improve dental health is required to reduce ED visits for oral and dental conditions among Hawaii residents, especially for vulnerable individuals.

Community Emergency Care Use by Veterans in an Era of Expanding Choice

Recently passed legislation aimed at improving access to care has considerably expanded options for veterans to receive emergency care in community, or non-Veterans Affairs (VA) settings. However, national trends in community emergency department (ED) use by veterans are unknown. To examine national, temporal trends in the frequencies and types of ED visits provided in community settings and explore the association between facilities' purchase of community care with facility and regional characteristics. Retrospective, observational cross-sectional study of ED visits over fiscal years (FY) 2016 to 2022. VA and community ED encounter data were obtained from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse and the Office of Integrated Veteran Care. Participants were veterans receiving ED care at VA facilities or paid for by the VA in the community. Data were analyzed from June to September 2023. The primary outcome measures included community ED visit volume, disposition, and payments over time. Also, the most common and costly ED visits were assessed. Negative binomial regression analysis examined associations between facility and regional characteristics and the rate of ED visits purchased in community settings relative to all ED visits. There were 19 787 056 ED visits, predominantly at VA facilities (14 532 261 visits [73.4%]), made by 3 972 503 unique veterans from FY 2016 to 2022. The majority of ED users were male (3 576 120 individuals [90.0%]), and the median (IQR) age was 63 (48-73) years. The proportion of community ED visits increased in absolute terms from 18% in FY 2016 to 37% in FY 2022. Total community ED payments, adjusted to 2021 dollars, were $1.18 billion in FY 2016 and over $6.14 billion in FY 2022. The most common reasons for ED visits in the community were for nonspecific chest pain (305 082 visits [6%]), abdominal pain (174 836 visits [3%]), and septicemia (149 968 visits [3%]). The average proportion of ED visits purchased by a VA facility increased from 14% in FY 2016 to 32% by FY 2022. In multivariable analyses, facilities with greater ED volume and low-complexity facilities had higher expected rates of community emergency care than lower volume and high-complexity facilities, respectively. As veterans increasingly use community EDs for acute, unscheduled needs, attention to factors associated with veterans' use of acute care services in different settings are important to identify access barriers and to ensure veterans' health care needs are met.

Unplanned revisits of older patients to the emergency department

IntroductionOlder patients currently represent up to 12%−24% of all emergency department (ED) visits. While increasing in number, they are also at high risk of revisits once discharged. The rate of ED revisits within 72 h is a key indicator of the quality of care in emergency medicine and varies between 1% and 15%. The reasons for ED revisits are natural course of illness, misdiagnosis, lack of homecare, and self-discharge against medical advice. However, the risk factors for ED revisits have not been fully investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the incidence of ED revisits and identify the risk factors for ED revisits within 72 h after ED discharge.MethodsIn this retrospective study, older patients (≥70 years) were consecutively enrolled if they presented with an Emergency Severity Index of 2 or 3 in a tertiary care ED in 2019, with discharge after the ED visit. The primary endpoint was the frequency of unplanned ED revisits within 72 h after ED discharge. The secondary endpoints were the reasons and potential risk factors for ED revisits. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used.ResultsA total of 592 older patients were enrolled, of whom 30 (5.1%) revisited the ED within 72 h. Gastrointestinal diagnosis [odds ratio (OR), 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–8.2; p = 0.043) and nausea in particular (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.3–9.4; p = 0.016) were significant risk factors for ED revisits. Furthermore, discharge against medical advice (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.7–18.1; p = 0.004) and ED presentation during the night (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2–6.1; p = 0.014) were significant risk factors for ED revisits within 72 h after discharge, respectively.ConclusionAlthough the frequency of ED revisits among older patients at 72 h after discharge tends to be low and most revisits were illness-related, all older patients need to be assessed for risk factors for ED revisits. Discharge should be carefully evaluated to improve patient safety and provide the best healthcare to this frail population.

Impact of extreme weather events on healthcare utilization and mortality in the United States.

Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events. Yet a systematic analysis of post-disaster healthcare utilization and outcomes for severe weather and climate disasters, as tracked by the US government, is lacking. Following exposure to 42 US billion-dollar weather disasters (severe storm, flood, flood/severe storm, tropical cyclone and winter storm) between 2011 and 2016, we used a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to quantify changes in the rates of emergency department (ED) visits, nonelective hospitalizations and mortality between fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in affected compared to matched control counties in post-disaster weeks 1, 1-2 and 3-6. Overall, disasters were associated with higher rates of ED utilization in affected counties in post-disaster week 1 (DID of 1.22% (95% CI, 0.20% to 2.25%; P < 0.020)) through week 2. Nonelective hospitalizations were unchanged. Mortality was higher in affected counties in week 1 (DID of 1.40% (95% CI, 0.08% to 2.74%; P = 0.037)) and persisted for 6 weeks. Counties with the greatest loss and damage experienced greater increases in ED and mortality rates compared to all affected counties. Thus, billion-dollar weather disasters are associated with excess ED visits and mortality in Medicare beneficiaries. Tracking these outcomes is important for adaptation that protects patients and communities, health system resilience and policy.

Cannabis-involvement in emergency department visits for self-harm following medical and non-medical cannabis legalization

AimsCannabis use may increase the risk of self-harm, but whether legalization of cannabis is associated with changes in self-harm is unknown. We examined changes in cannabis-involvement in emergency department (ED) visits for self-harm after the liberalization of medical and legalization of non-medical cannabis in Canada. MethodsThis repeated cross-sectional study used health administrative data to identify all ED visits for self-harm in individuals aged ten and older between January 2010 and December 2021. We identified self-harm ED visits with a co-diagnosis of cannabis (main exposure) or alcohol (control condition) and examined changes in rates of visits over four distinct policy periods (pre-legalization, medical liberalization, non-medical legalization with restrictions, and non-medical commercialization/COVID-19) using Poisson models. ResultsThe study included 158,912 individuals with one or more self-harm ED visits, of which 7810 (4.9 %) individuals had a co-diagnosis of cannabis use and 24,761 (15.6 %) had a co-diagnosis of alcohol use. Between 2010 and 2021, the annual rate of ED visits for self-harm injuries involving cannabis per 100,000 individuals increased by 90.1 % (3.6 in 2010 to 6.9 in 2021 per 100,000 individuals), while the annual rate of self-harm injuries involving alcohol decreased by 17.3 % (168.1 in 2010 to 153.1 in 2021 per 100,000 individuals). The entire increase in visits relative to pre-legalization occurred after medical liberalization (seasonally adjusted Risk Ratio [asRR] 1.71 95 % CI 1.09–1.15) with no further increases during the legalization with restrictions (asRR 1.77 95%CI 1.62–1.93) or commercialization/COVID-19 periods (asRR 1.63 95%CI 1.50–176). ConclusionsCannabis-involvement in self-harm ED visits almost doubled over 12 years and may have accelerated after medical cannabis liberalization. While the results cannot determine whether cannabis is increasingly causing self-harm ED visits or whether cannabis is increasingly being used by individuals at high risk of self-harm, greater detection for cannabis use in this population and intervention may be indicated.

Patient-reported outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal cancer on oral chemotherapy.

732 Background: Over the last several years, patient reported outcomes (PROs) have been demonstrated to address patient symptoms, improve outcomes, and reduce health care utilization. We aim to provide an electronic PRO (ePRO) tool for gastrointestinal (GI) oncology patients with the goals of improving adherence, reducing toxicity, and enhancing patient access to the clinical team. Methods: Patients are provided an ePRO tool consisting of a cellphone app integrated into the electronic health record with questions on adherence and 10 questions on symptoms adapted from the NCI PRO-CTCAE for local use. Emails are sent to the clinical team for nonadherence, new or worsening symptoms, or patient requested callback. Outcomes including time to first symptom assessment, emergency department (ED) visit and/or hospitalization at 30 and 90 days from enrollment will be compared with historical controls. Other outcomes including adherence and patient-reported access to the clinic will be assessed. Results: Six patients have been enrolled between May 1, 2023 and September 4, 2023. Five patients were newly starting oral chemotherapy agents and one patient had already been on therapy. Types of cancers included colon cancers (2), rectal cancer (1), pancreatic cancer (1), GIST (1), and cholangiocarcinoma (1). Types of oral chemotherapy included capecitabine (4), olaparib (1), and imatinib (1). Five patients have submitted a total of ten responses. Of the five who completed the ePROs, patients responded a median of one time (range 1-5). Reported symptoms were fatigue (4), pain (2), nausea (1), diarrhea (1), other symptoms (2) and a request callback (1). Seven (70%) responses have prompted emails alerts for clinical symptoms and one (10%) for adherence concerns. All alerts were resolved; average time to alert response 1.6 calendar days (range 1-3). Among historical controls, time to first symptom assessment after a new oral chemotherapy prescription was seven days, 30-day rate for ED and/or hospitalizations was 12%, and 90-day rate of ED visits and/or hospitalizations was 28%. Conclusions: Early data suggests a new process to manage ePROs can provide timely responses to email alerts. Of the responses thus far, 70% prompted email alerts due to clinical symptoms and 10% reported nonadherence, suggesting a high need for ongoing ePRO tools. Results are forthcoming on outcomes including time to symptom assessment/clinical action, ED visit/hospitalization and access.

The role of rapid syndromic diagnostic testing of gastrointestinal pathogens as a clinical decision support tool in a pediatric emergency department

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the role of rapid syndromic diagnostic testing of gastrointestinal pathogens as a clinical decision support tool in a pediatric emergency department (ED) by comparing clinical decision and patient outcome parameters pre- and post-implementation.MethodsThis was a big data analytical study of children < 18 years old without any underlying diseases, that visited the ED with acute moderate to severe diarrhea during a 34-month period from 2018 to 2022 using Seoul St. Mary’s hospital’s healthcare corporate data warehouse to retrieve demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters. Outcome measures pre- and post-implementation of a rapid syndromic multiplex gastrointestinal panel (GI panel) were compared.ResultsA total of 4,184 patients’ data were included in the analyses. Broad spectrum antibiotics were prescribed at a significantly lower rate to patients presenting with acute infectious diarrhea at discharge from the ED (9.9% vs 15.8%, P < 0.001) as well as upon admission (52.2% vs 66.0%, P < 0.001) during the post-implementation period compared to the pre-implementation period. Although the duration of ED stay was found to be significantly longer (6.5 vs 5.5 h, P < 0.0001), the rate of ED revisit due to persistent or aggravated symptoms was significantly lower (Δ in intercept, β = -0.027; SE = 0.013; P = 0.041), and the admission rate at follow up after being discharged from the ED shown to be significantly lower during the post-implementation period compared to the pre-implementation period (0.8% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.001, respectively). No significant difference in disease progression was observed (P = 1.000).ConclusionUsing the GI panel in the ED was shown to decrease broad spectrum antibiotic prescribing practices and reduce revisits or admission at follow up by aiding clinical decisions and improving patient outcome.

Comparison of validity of Korean triage and acuity scale levels assessed by triage nurse in real-time and by retrospectively applying strict systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria in patients with fever

The strict application of vital signs has substantial risk of over-triage. Therefore, this study assessed the predictive value of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) level calculated using strict Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria versus that evaluated by a verified triage nurse (TN). The study is based on a retrospective observational cohort of a single-center emergency department (ED) from 01 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. Study subjects were patients aged ≥18 years with fever. Intensive care unit admission rate or death in ED (IADE) and general ward admission rate according to two differently defined KTAS levels were compared by receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression. A total of 2322 patients were included. In comparing the area under the curves (AUCs) of TN- and SIRS-KTAS, TN-KTAS’ predictive power for IADE (0.802) was higher than that of SIRS-KTAS (0.7440, p = 0.0489). The odds ratio of level 3 for IADE (1.35) was not significantly different from that of level 4 in SIRS-KTAS (p = 0.5429). In KTAS, the severity of illness in patients was more accurately predicted by the triage nurse’s decision based on clinical experience than the strict application of SIRS criteria with only vital signs.

Emergency services utilization by patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis: An analysis of national trends.

Hospitalization and mortality in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a severe form of liver disease, continue to increase over time. Given the severity of the illness, most hospitalized patients with AH are admitted from the emergency department (ED). However, there are no data on ED utilization by patients with AH. Thus, the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) dataset was analyzed to determine the ED utilization for AH. Temporal trends (2016-2019) and outcomes of ED visits for AH were determined. Primary or secondary AH diagnoses were based on coding priority. Numbers of patients evaluated in the ED, severity of disease, complications of liver disease, and discharge disposition were analyzed. Crude and adjusted rates were examined, and temporal trends evaluated using logistic regression with orthogonal polynomial contrasts for each year. There were 466,014,370 ED visits during 2016-2019, of which 448,984 (0.096%) were for AH, 85.0% of which required hospitalization. The rate of visits for AH (primary and secondary) between 2016 and 2019 increased from 85 to 106.8/100,000 ED visits. The rate of secondary AH increased more than the rate of primary AH (from 68.6 to 86.5 vs. from 16.4 to 20.3/100,000 ED visits). Patients aged 45-64 years had the highest rate of ED visits for AH, which decreased during the study period, while the rate of ED visits for AH increased in those aged 25-44 years (from 38.5% to 42.9%).The severity of disease (ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and acute kidney injury) also increased over time. Medicaid and private insurance were the most common payors for patients seeking care in the ED for AH. Temporal trends show an overall increase in ED utilization rates for AH, more patients requiring hospitalization, and an increase in the proportion of younger patients presenting to the ED with AH.

Home health care is associated with an increased risk of readmission and cost of care without reducing risk of complication following shoulder arthroplasty: a propensity-score analysis

BackgroundHome health services provide patients with additional professional care and supervision following discharge from the hospital to theoretically reduce the risk of complication and reduce healthcare utilization. The aim of this investigation was to determine if patients assigned home health services following total shoulder arthroplasty (anatomic (TSA) and reverse (RSA)) exhibited lower rates of medical complications, lower healthcare utilization, and lower cost of care compared to patients not receiving these services. MethodsA national insurance database was retrospectively reviewed to identify all patients undergoing primary anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty from 2010 to 2019. Patients who received home health services were matched using a propensity score algorithm to a set of similar patients who were discharged home without services. We compared medical complication rates, emergency department (ED) visits, readmissions, and 90-day cost of care between the groups. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the independent effect of home health services on all outcomes. Results1,119 patients received home health services and were matched to 11,190 patients who were discharged home without services. There was no significant difference in patients who received home health services compared to those who did not receive home health services with respect to rates of ED visits within 30 days (OR 1.293; p = 0.0328) and 90 days (OR 1.215; P = 0.0378), while the home health group demonstrated increased readmissions within 90 days (OR 1.663; P<0.001). For all medical complications, there was no difference between cohorts. Episode-of-care costs for home health patients were higher than those discharged without these services ($12,521.04 vs $9,303.48; P < .001). ConclusionPatients assigned home health care services exhibited higher cost of care and readmission rates without a reduction in the rate of complication or early return to the ED. These findings suggest that home healthcare services should be strongly analyzed on a case-by-case basis to determine if a patient may benefit from its implementation.

Association of the affordable care act with racial and ethnic disparities in uninsured emergency department utilization

BackgroundDisparities in uninsured emergency department (ED) use are well documented. However, a comprehensive analysis evaluating how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have reduced racial and ethnic disparities is lacking. The goal was to assess the association of the ACA with racial and ethnic disparities in uninsured ED use.MethodsThis study used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) for Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York from 2011 to 2017. Participants include non-elderly adults between 18 and 64 years old. Outcomes include uninsured rates of ED visits by racial and ethnic groups and stratified by medical urgency using the New York University ED algorithm. Visits were aggregated to year-quarter ED visits per 100,000 population and stratified for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic non-elderly adults. Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences and triple differences regression analyses to identify the effect of the ACA and the separate effect of the Medicaid expansion were used comparing uninsured ED visits by race and ethnicity groups pre-post ACA.ResultsThe ACA was associated with a 14% reduction in the rate of uninsured ED visits per 100,000 population (from 10,258 pre-ACA to 8,877 ED visits per 100,000 population post-ACA) overall. The non-Hispanic Black compared to non-Hispanic White disparity decreased by 12.4% (-275.1 ED visits per 100,000) post-ACA. About 60% of the decline in the Black-White disparity was attributed to disproportionate declines in ED visit rates for conditions classified as not-emergent (-93.2 ED visits per 100,000), and primary care treatable/preventable (-64.1 ED visits per 100,000), while the disparity in ED visit rates for injuries and not preventable conditions also declined (-106.57 ED visits per 100,000). All reductions in disparities were driven by the Medicaid expansion. No significant decrease in Hispanic-White disparity was observed.ConclusionsThe ACA was associated with fewer uninsured ED visits and reduced the Black-White ED disparity, driven mostly by a reduction in less emergent ED visits after the ACA in Medicaid expansion states. Disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White adults did not decline after the ACA. Despite the positive momentum of declining disparities in uninsured ED visits, disparities, especially among Black people, remain.

Chest pain in patients with cancer: prevalence of myocardial infarction and diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T/I

Abstract Background Among patients with active or past cancer presenting with acute chest discomfort to the emergency department (ED), multiple uncertainties remain regarding the prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), outcomes, and the diagnostic utility of recommended diagnostic tools. Purpose We aimed to evaluate 1) the prevalence of AMI among consecutive patients with a history of cancer presenting with acute chest pain to the ED; 2) time to discharge from the ED and hospitalization rate; 3) the diagnostic accuracy of 34 predefined chest pain characteristics (CPCs) and ECG signatures; 4) the diagnostic accuracy of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI concentrations; and 5) the performance of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 0/1h-hs-cTnT/I algorithms. Methods Patients presenting with chest pain to the ED were prospectively enrolled in an international multicenter diagnostic study. Cancer status was prospectively assessed. Final diagnosis was centrally adjudicated by two independent cardiologists, applying the 4th universal definition of AMI. Findings were externally validated in an independent, multicenter cohort. Results Among 8267 patients, 711 (8.6%) had cancer. Cancer patients had a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors and preexisting cardiac disease, and more often a final diagnosis of AMI (184 [26%] patients with cancer vs 1562 [21%, P&amp;lt;0.001] without cancer). This difference was largely due to a significantly higher proportion of NSTEMIs in cancer patients (23% vs 17%; p&amp;lt;0.001). Total length of stay in the ED was significantly longer in patients with cancer versus those without (5.2h versus 4.3h, p&amp;lt;0.001). The hospitalization rate was higher in cancer patients (49.8%) than in non-cancer patients (34.3%, P&amp;lt;0.001), driven by non-AMI diagnoses (36.3% vs 21.3%, P&amp;lt;0.001). All-cause mortality at 5-years was 34.4% in patients with cancer versus 8.9% in patients without cancer (P&amp;lt;0.001). In cancer patients, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) T, but not hs-cTnI, concentrations had lower diagnostic accuracy for NSTEMI versus those without cancer (hs-cTnT area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve 0.89 [95%CI 0.86-0.92] vs 0.94 [95%CI 0.93-0.94], p&amp;lt;0.001). In cancer patients, the ESC 0/1h-hs-cTnT/I-algorithms maintained a very high safety but had lower efficacy with significantly more patients remaining in the observe zone (with hs-cTnT: 39.0% vs 20.0%, P&amp;lt;0.001). Similar findings were obtained in the external validation cohort. Conclusions Patients with current or past cancer have a substantially higher prevalence of AMI as the cause of acute chest pain. Time to discharge from the ED and the rate of hospitalization are increased, mainly due to non-AMI causes. The diagnostic performance of hs-cTnT/I and the efficacy of the ESC 0/1-h-hs-cTnT/I-algorithms is reduced.