Characteristics of recurrent emergency department visits within 72 hours of visits for the same or related complaints

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics of recurrent emergency department visits within 72 hours for the same or related complaints. Any repeated visits to the emergency department within the first 72 hours of discharge after the first admission as a result of same or similar complaints were defined as recurrent visits. Patients who revisited the emergency department within 72 hours after the first visit were included in the study. Recurrent visit files were taken from the Hospital Information Management System, and data were compared between the first and second visits. 1,952 (2.3%) of the 83,578 patients included fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The revisit rate was 2.3%. no significant differences were found between the visits in terms of Emergency Department triage scores; however, 2 patients with triage scores of 4 in the first visit had triage score of 1 in the recurrent visits. Presence of comorbidity was found to be significantly associated with revisit and hospitalization. Measuring and evaluating the causes of revisits to the emergency department is important since it is possible to assess hospital quality by using these parameters. We believe that prolonged emergency room observation is necessary, particularly for patients with comorbidities and those presenting complaints related to the cardiovascular system, oncology, and respiratory system in order to reduce the rate of revisit, which will eventually decrease the rates of morbidity and mortality