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Pre-Emergency-Department Care-Seeking Patterns Are Associated with the Severity of Presenting Condition for Emergency Department Visit and Subsequent Adverse Events: A Timeframe Episode Analysis

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  • Chien-Lung Chan
  • Wender Lin
  • Nan-Ping Yang
  • K Robert Lai
  • Hsin-Tsung Huang

Abstract

Background: Many patients treated in Emergency Department (ED) visits can be treated at primary or urgent care sectors, despite the fact that a number of ED visitors seek other forms of care prior to an ED visit. However, little is known regarding how the pre-ED activity episodes affect ED visits. Objectives: We investigated whether care-seeking patterns involve the use of health care services of various types prior to ED visits and examined the associations of these patterns with the severity of the presenting condition for the ED visit (EDVS) and subsequent events. Methods: This retrospective observational study used administrative data on beneficiaries of the universal health care insurance program in Taiwan. The service type, treatment capacity, and relative diagnosis were used to classify pre-ED visits into 8 care types. Frequent pattern analysis was used to identify sequential care-seeking patterns and to classify 667,183 eligible pre-ED episodes into patterns. Generalized linear models were developed using generalized estimating equations to examine the associations of these patterns with EDVS and subsequent events. Results: The results revealed 17 care-seeking patterns. The EDVS and likelihood of subsequent events significantly differed among patterns. The ED severity index of patterns differ from patterns seeking directly ED care (coefficients ranged from -0.05 to 0.13), and the odds-ratios for the likelihood of subsequent ED visits and hospitalization ranged from 1.18 to 1.86 and 1.16 to 2.84, respectively. Conclusions: The pre-ED care-seeking patterns differ in severity of presenting condition and subsequent events that may represent different causes of ED visit. Future health policy maker may adopt different intervention strategies for targeted population to reduce unnecessary ED visit effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Chien-Lung Chan & Wender Lin & Nan-Ping Yang & K Robert Lai & Hsin-Tsung Huang, 2015. "Pre-Emergency-Department Care-Seeking Patterns Are Associated with the Severity of Presenting Condition for Emergency Department Visit and Subsequent Adverse Events: A Timeframe Episode Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0127793
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127793
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chan, Chien-Lung & Lin, Wender & Yang, Nan-Ping & Huang, Hsin-Tsung, 2013. "The association between the availability of ambulatory care and non-emergency treatment in emergency medicine departments: A comprehensive and nationwide validation," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 271-279.
    2. Tsai, Jeffrey Che-Hung & Chen, Wen-Yi & Liang, Yia-Wun, 2011. "Nonemergent emergency department visits under the National Health Insurance in Taiwan," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 189-195.
    3. Shiying Hao & Bo Jin & Andrew Young Shin & Yifan Zhao & Chunqing Zhu & Zhen Li & Zhongkai Hu & Changlin Fu & Jun Ji & Yong Wang & Yingzhen Zhao & Dorothy Dai & Devore S Culver & Shaun T Alfreds & Todd, 2014. "Risk Prediction of Emergency Department Revisit 30 Days Post Discharge: A Prospective Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(11), pages 1-13, November.
    4. Suzanne E Bentler & Robert O Morgan & Beth A Virnig & Fredric D Wolinsky, 2014. "The Association of Longitudinal and Interpersonal Continuity of Care with Emergency Department Use, Hospitalization, and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Gavin M Rudge & Mohammed A Mohammed & Sally C Fillingham & Alan Girling & Khesh Sidhu & Andrew J Stevens, 2013. "The Combined Influence of Distance and Neighbourhood Deprivation on Emergency Department Attendance in a Large English Population: A Retrospective Database Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-8, July.
    6. Tsai, Jeffrey Che-Hung & Chen, Wen-Yi & Liang, Yia-Wun, 2011. "Nonemergent emergency department visits under the National Health Insurance in Taiwan," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(2-3), pages 189-195, May.
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