scholarly journals Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rates of emergency department utilization and hospital admission due to general surgery conditions

Author(s):  
Saba Balvardi ◽  
Josie Cipolla ◽  
Nawar Touma ◽  
Tharaniya Vallipuram ◽  
Natasha Barone ◽  
...  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 587-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Paul ◽  
A. Agiro ◽  
M. Hoffman ◽  
C. Denemark ◽  
A. Brazen ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S332-S332
Author(s):  
Anisha Ganguly ◽  
Larry Brown ◽  
Deepak Agrawal ◽  
Kavita Bhavan

Abstract Background Self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (S-OPAT) has been established as a clinically safe and effective alternative to inpatient or outpatient extended-course intravenous antibiotics while reducing healthcare resource utilization. However, previous research has not confirmed that transferring patients from the hospital to home for treatment does not cause a compensatory increase in emergency department (ED) visits. We sought to validate S-OPAT clinical safety and healthcare costs associated with S-OPAT by confirming that S-OPAT does not increase ED utilization during treatment. Methods We conducted a before-after study of ED utilization among S-OPAT patients. We compared ED visits, hospital admissions resulting from ED visits, hospital admissions due to OPAT-related causes, and hospital charges associated with all ED visits 60 days before and after initiation of S-OPAT. A 60-day time frame was selected to effectively encompass the maximum treatment duration (8 weeks) for S-OPAT. Paired t-tests were used to compare the change in ED utilization before and after initiation of S-OPAT. Results Among our cohort of 944 S-OPAT patients, 430 patients visited the ED 60 days before or after starting treatment. Of the patients with ED visits, 69 were admitted to the hospital for OPAT-related causes and 228 incurred hospital charges from their visit. Initiation of S-OPAT was associated with a statistically significant reduction in total ED visits, all-cause hospital admission, OPAT-related hospital admission, and hospital charges (see Table 1). Conclusion Our review of ED utilization among S-OPAT patients demonstrates a reduction in multiple parameters of ED utilization with the initiation of S-OPAT treatment. Our findings confirm that S-OPAT does not yield an increase, but rather a decrease, in ED visits with the transfer of patients from hospital to home. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S333-S334
Author(s):  
So Lim Kim ◽  
Angela Everett ◽  
Susan J Rehm ◽  
Steven Gordon ◽  
Nabin Shrestha

Abstract Background Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) carries risk of vascular access complications, antimicrobial adverse effects, and worsening of infection. Both OPAT-related and unrelated events may lead to emergency department (ED) visits. The purpose of this study was to describe adverse events that result in ED visits and risk factors associated with ED visits during OPAT. Methods OPAT courses between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2016 at Cleveland Clinic were identified from the institution’s OPAT registry. ED visits within 30 days of OPAT initiation were reviewed. Reasons and potential risk factors for ED visits were sought in the medical record. Results Among 11,440 OPAT courses during the study period, 603 (5%) were associated with 1 or more ED visits within 30 days of OPAT initiation. Mean patient age was 58 years and 57% were males. 379 ED visits (49%) were OPAT-related; the most common visit reason was vascular access complication, which occurred in 211 (56%) of OPAT-related ED visits. The most common vascular access complications were occlusion and dislodgement, which occurred in 99 and 34 patients (47% and 16% of vascular access complications, respectively). In a multivariable logistic regression model, at least one prior ED visit in the preceding year (prior ED visit) was most strongly associated with one or more ED visits during an OPAT course (OR 2.96, 95% CI 2.38 – 3.71, p-value < 0.001). Other significant factors were younger age (p 0.01), female sex (p 0.01), home county residence (P < 0.001), and having a PICC (p 0.05). 549 ED visits (71%) resulted in discharge from the ED within 24 hours, 18 (2%) left against medical advice, 46 (6%) were observed up to 24 hours, and 150 ED visits (20%) led to hospital admission. Prior ED visit was not associated with hospital admission among patients who visited the ED during OPAT. Conclusion OPAT-related ED visits are most often due to vascular access complications, especially line occlusions. Patients with a prior ED visit in the preceding year have a 3-fold higher odds of at least one ED visit during OPAT compared with patients without a prior ED visit. A strategy of managing occlusions at home and a focus on patients with prior ED visits could potentially prevent a substantial proportion of OPAT-related ED visits. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2110248
Author(s):  
Charlie M Wray ◽  
Myla Junge ◽  
Salomeh Keyhani ◽  
Janeen E Smith

The use of emergency departments for non-emergent issues has led to overcrowding and decreased the quality of care. Telemedicine may be a mechanism to decrease overutilization of this expensive resource. From April to September 2020, we assessed (a) the impact of a multi-center tele-urgent care program on emergency department referral rates and (b) the proportion of individuals who had a subsequent emergency department visit within 72 h of tele-urgent care evaluation when they were not referred to the emergency department. We then performed a chart review to assess whether patients presented to the emergency department for the same reason as was stated for their tele-urgent care evaluation, whether subsequent hospitalization was needed during that emergency department visit, and whether death occurred. Among the 2510 patients who would have been referred to in-person emergency department care, but instead received tele-urgent care assessment, one in five (21%; n = 533) were subsequently referred to the emergency department. Among those not referred following tele-urgent care, 1 in 10 (11%; n = 162) visited the emergency department within 72 h. Among these 162 individuals, most (91%) returned with the same or similar complaint as what was assessed during their tele-urgent care visit, with one in five requiring hospitalization (19%, n = 31) with one individual (0.01%) dying. In conclusion, tele-urgent care may safely decrease emergency department utilization.


Author(s):  
Arjun K. Venkatesh ◽  
Alexander T. Janke ◽  
Li Shu-Xia ◽  
Craig Rothenberg ◽  
Pawan Goyal ◽  
...  

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