Study sheds light on non-urgent visits to emergency departments

Emergency departments in the United States are facing a significant challenge when it comes to assessing the urgency of patient visits. With more than 140 million visits each year, costing nearly $80 billion, it is crucial for doctors and patients to agree on the seriousness of the situation based on the information provided by the patient upon arrival.

However, a recent cross-sectional study conducted by Benjamin Ukert from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, along with colleagues from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of South Carolina, revealed that doctors and patients only agree on the urgency level of the situation about 38% to 57% of the time. This lack of consensus poses a major problem as nearly 40% of emergency department visits are not actual medical emergencies, leading to unnecessary costs and strain on hospital resources.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, challenges the effectiveness of policies aimed at transferring less-urgent cases to doctors’ offices and urgent care centers. The researchers found that the current retrospective review and adjudication process, based on medical claims and discharge diagnoses, may not be the most reliable method for determining the appropriateness of emergency department visits.

Analyzing data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the researchers identified that there was a significant discrepancy between the reasons patients gave for their visit and the actual diagnosis they received upon discharge. This lack of correlation highlights the need for alternative methods of assessing the urgency of emergency department visits.

To address this issue, Ukert suggested gathering additional information from patients upon their arrival, such as their main concerns, symptoms, and mode of arrival. By developing objective tools that can accurately assess the complexity of emergency visits, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions about the appropriate level of care for each patient.

Overall, the study sheds light on the challenges faced by emergency departments in accurately triaging patients and emphasizes the importance of improving the assessment process to ensure that resources are allocated effectively. By enhancing communication between doctors and patients and implementing more comprehensive evaluation tools, emergency departments can better manage patient care and reduce unnecessary costs.