Population-based burden of COPD-related visits in the ED: return ED visits, hospital admissions, and comorbidity risks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about the population-based burden of ED care for COPD.

Methods

We analyzed statewide ED surveillance system data to quantify the frequency of COPD-related ED visits, hospital admissions, and comorbidities.

Results

In 2008 to 2009 in North Carolina, 97,511 COPD-related ED visits were made by adults ≥ 45 years of age, at an annual rate of 13.8 ED visits/1,000 person-years. Among patients with COPD (n = 33,799), 7% and 28% had a COPD-related return ED visit within a 30- and 365-day period of their index visit, respectively. Compared with patients on private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and noninsured patients were more likely to have a COPD-related return visit within 30 and 365 days and have three or more COPD-related visits within 365 days.

SUBMITTER: Yeatts KB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4694174 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature