Concurrent Emergency Department Use by a New Mother With a Disability and Her Newborn

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal-Child Health
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Concurrent emergency department use (Co-ED) impacts maternal-infant health outcomes.
• Understanding Co-ED risk factors is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Preexisting maternal disability is a potential risk factor for Co-ED.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between maternal disability and concurrent emergency department use (Co-ED) in mother-infant pairs.
• To quantify the risk of Co-ED among mothers with physical, sensory, or intellectual/developmental disabilities.
• To identify specific patterns of emergency department visits in mother-infant dyads.

Main Methods:

• Population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (2008-2023).
• Included 1,548,178 mother-infant pairs, comparing those with and without maternal disability.
• Multinomial logistic regression analyzed odds ratios (ORs) for Co-ED, adjusted for covariates.

Main Results:

• Women with a disability had a higher likelihood of Co-ED (5.4% vs 3.4%; aOR, 1.66).
• Maternal disability was associated with increased risk of maternal-only ED visits (aOR, 1.38) and infant-only ED visits (aOR, 1.20).
• For Co-ED, the median time between maternal and infant ED visits was 19 days.

Conclusions:

• Concurrent emergency department use (Co-ED) is a significant concern, especially for mothers with disabilities.
• Approximately 1 in 20 mothers with a disability experienced Co-ED.
• Enhanced postdischarge planning and outpatient care are recommended for dyads involving mothers with disabilities.