Characteristics and subgroups of frequent emergency department users in an academic hospital in Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Frequent emergency department (ED) users increase the burden on EDs. However, little is known about the characteristics and subgroups of frequent ED users in Japan.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data on patients who had visited the ED of an academic hospital in Japan between 2014 and 2015. We identified adult frequent ED users (four or more ED visits within 365 days prior to one's last visit) and sampled adult non-frequent ED users. We compared these groups to delineate the characteristics of frequent ED users and examined the association between frequent ED use and hospitalization rates. Additionally, to identify latent subgroups of frequent ED users, we undertook a cluster analysis.

Results

We identified 259 frequent ED users and 297 non-frequent ED users

SUBMITTER: Osawa I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7336271 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature