Emergency department utilization by spina bifida patients in Florida 2016-2020

To investigate emergency department use of spina bifida patients in Florida and identify presenting diagnoses across all age groups.

Retrospective cohort study.

Individuals with a diagnosis of spina bifida who presented to the emergency department between 2016 and 2020 in Florida.

The State Emergency Department Databases of Florida from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project were utilized. Principal diagnosis codes were queried, and patients were classified into paediatric (ages 0-19), transitional (ages 20-29), adults (ages 30-59), and geriatric (ages 60 or greater). To analyse patient-level factors and observed case numbers, χ2 testing was used. The transitional period was further evaluated by pair-wise tests of proportions with Bonferroni adjustment.

The transitional age group (20-29) patients had the highest number of emergency department encounters (24.1%). The most common presenting diagnoses were infections (23.1%) followed by epilepsy and seizure (17.3%). Transitional groups were responsible for the most emergency department encounters across all categories (p < 0.001).

Transitional ages patients (20-29) were responsible for the majority of encounters, suggesting the significance and the need for continued multidisciplinary coordinated care during the transitional of care between paediatric and adult settings for patients with spina bifida.