Secondary Emergency Visits: Patients seeking care for problems recently managed elsewhere

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Economics

Background:

• Emergency departments (EDs) are crucial for acute care.
• Understanding patient visit patterns is essential for resource allocation.
• Secondary healthcare visits can indicate unmet needs or system inefficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency of secondary emergency department visits.
• To assess the implications of repeat ED visits on healthcare expenditure.
• To identify potential areas for healthcare system improvement.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among patients presenting to emergency care.
• Data collection occurred over a 7-day period in February 1989.
• Hospitals included were located in Calgary, Canada.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one percent of surveyed patients had seen another physician for the same condition within 72 hours.
• This pattern of secondary visits suggests a potential impact on overall healthcare costs.
• The study identifies a need for further investigation into these repeat visits.

Conclusions:

• Secondary emergency department visits represent a notable phenomenon in healthcare utilization.
• The findings suggest that repeat visits may contribute to increased health care costs.
• Further research is recommended to determine the scope and justification of these secondary visits.