Emergency room visits and hospitalizations among participants with spinal cord injury

Literature examining emergency room visits (ERV) and emergency room related hospitalizations (ERH) after spinal cord injury (SCI) is limited.

Identify (1) the annual frequency of ERV and ERH and (2) their likelihood as a function of demographic, injury, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Participants (n = 1,579) with SCI completed mailed self-report questionnaires.

37% reported at least one ERV, with an average of 85 ERV per 100 participants. 19% reported at least one ERH and an average of 33 ERH annually per 100 participants. A greater likelihood of ERV was observed among non-whites, those with more severe SCI, less education, and lower income. Among those with at least one ERV, greater risk of ERH was observed among non-Hispanic whites, those with more severe SCI, lower education, and higher age.

ERV are common after SCI and should be accounted for when predicting SCI related expenses. Those with the most severe SCI and those in the oldest age group were most likely to be hospitalized after an ERV.