Patients seen in emergency departments who had a prior visit within the previous 72 h - National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2002

Objective: This study characterized emergency department (ED) visits of patients who had received services in an ED within the previous 72 h. Methods: ED data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analysed for: (a) infectious-disease-related visits; (b) infectious-disease-related return visits; and (c) return visits reported within the previous 72 h for all. visits. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of hospital EDs and were weighted to generate national estimates. Results: In 2002, an estimated 20.5 million ED visits occurred in the USA for infectious diseases, for a visit rate of 73/1000 people. A total of 3.5 million total return visits to EDs occurred within 72 h, and 67% were for follow-up visits. An estimated 625,280 return visits were for infectious diseases (18% of total ED return visits); 72% of these were for follow-up services. For total visits and infectious-disease-related visits, the majority of return visits were reported among those aged 25-44 years and among females. Discussion: Approximately seven of every 10 return visits to EDs in 2002 were for follow-up services, and no difference existed in the percentage of return visits for infectious diseases compared with total visits. A health services implication exists for treating this percentage of patients in EDs when primary care practitioners should be the point of contact. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Institute of Public Health.