Frequency, Causes, and Outcomes of Return Visits to the Emergency Department Within 72 Hours: A Retrospective Observational Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of the Study Participants

Variables	Descriptive Statistics (n=1000)
Gender
Male	513 (51.3%)
Female	487 (48.7%)
Age in Years
Mean (SD)	31.5 (17.7)
Median (Range)	30 (1−90)
Age category
Pediatrics	249 (24.9%)
Adult	751 (75.1%)
Top 4 diagnosis
Upper respiratory tract infection	79 (7.9%)
Bronchial asthma	31 (3.1%)
Gastritis	25 (2.5%)
Sickle cell disease	22 (2.2%)

Figure 1 The past medical history of subjects.

Table 2 Characteristics of the Initial Visit and the Revisits

	Initial Visit	Revisit	P value
Assessor			0.569
Resident	635 (63.5%)	610 (61%)
Staff physician	135 (13.5%)	132 (13.2%)
Specialist	119 (11.9%)	137 (13.7%)
Consultant	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)
Unknown	106 (10.6%)	118 (11.8%)
Triage level			0.711
I		1 (0.1%)
III	27 (2.7%)	33 (3.3%)
IV	624 (62.4%)	594 (59.8%)
V	349 (34.9%)	365 (36.7%)
Length of stay			0.031
Mean(SD)	1.57 (2.3)	1.57 (2.1)
Median (Range)	1.0 (6 minutes – 24 hours)	1.0 (4 minutes –19 hours)
Final Outcome			0.601
Discharged	957 (95.7%)	967 (96.7%)
DAMA*	9 (0.9%)
No bed available	4 (0.4%)
Admitted	0	12 (1.2%)
Expired	0	2 (0.2%)
Unknown	27 (2.7%)	19 (1.2%)

Note: *Discharge against medical advice.

Figure 2 The frequency of physician-related causes of ED revisits.

Figure 3 The frequency of patient-related causes of ED revisits.

Figure 4 The frequency of system-related causes of ED revisit.

Table 3 Complaints of the Initial Visit and Revisits

	Initial Visit	Revisit	P value
Vomiting	40 (4%)	21 (2.1%)	0.109
Shortness of breath	33 (3.3%)	20 (2.0%)	0.447
Trauma	41 (4.1%)	60 (6.0%)	0.269
Headache	36 (3.6%)	95 (9.5%)	0.003*
Fever	245 (24.5%)	291 (29.1%)	0.341
Dizziness	63 (6.3%)	30 (3.0%)	0.801
Back pain	86 (8.6%)	41 (4.1%)	0.027*
Abdominal Pain	95 (9.5%)	103 (10.3%)	0.567
Cough	49 (3.9%)	85 (8.5%)	0.002*
Body pain	103 (10.3%)	56 (5.6%)	<0.001*
Others	209 (20.9%)	198 (19.8%)	0.847

Notes: *Level of significance.