Table 5.
Factors associated with highly frequent ED use
| Visit of HFV (n = 263) | Visits of patients with one ED visit (n = 38,959) | OR (95% CI)1,2 highly frequent ED use | OR (95% CI) )1,2 final model, highly frequent ED use* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arrival time |
|
|
|
|
| Day shift |
102 (38.8) |
17,100 (43.9) |
Reference |
Reference |
| Evening shift |
97 (36.9) |
17,078 (43.8) |
1.05 (0.79, 1.40) |
1.05 (0.79, 1.40) |
| Night shift |
64 (24.3) |
4,781 (12.3) |
1.73 (1.24, 2.42) |
1.71 (1.23, 2.40) |
|
Arrival with ambulance |
78 (29.7) |
4,736 (12.2) |
2.02 (1.43, 2.85) |
1.97 (1.40, 2.79) |
|
Self-referred |
119 (45.2) |
26,643 (68.4) |
0.68 (.050, 0.93) |
0.67 (0.49, 0.91) |
|
Chief complaint [n (%)] |
|
|
|
|
| Limb problems |
25 (9.5) |
10,028 (25.7) |
0.55 (0.29, 1.04) |
- |
| Wounds & local infections |
27 (10.3) |
4,977 (12.8) |
1.22 (0.65, 2.28) |
- |
| Ear/Nose/Sore throat |
1 (0.4) |
895 (2.3) |
0.25 (0.03, 1.92) |
- |
| Shortness of breath |
41 (15.6) |
1,376 (3.5) |
4.49 (2.48, 8.11) |
9.17 (6.10, 13.78) |
| Abdominal pain |
42 (16.0) |
3,208 (8.2) |
2.22 (1.24, 3.98) |
4.47 (3.01, 6.65) |
| Chest pain |
30 (11.4) |
2,784 (7.1) |
1.87 (0.99, 3.53) |
3.88 (2.43, 6.19) |
| Unwell patient |
8 (3.0) |
2.146 (5.5) |
0.46 (0.19, 1.09) |
- |
| Head ache & head injury |
2 (0.8) |
1,919 (4.9) |
0.16 (0.04, 0.70) |
- |
| Psychiatric disorders |
20 (7.6) |
541 (1.4) |
3.49 (1.75, 6.96) |
7.23 (4.22, 12.40) |
| Back pain |
0 |
705 (1.8) |
- |
- |
| Severe trauma |
0 |
753 (1.9) |
- |
- |
| Rashes |
1 (0.4) |
522 (1.3) |
0.41 (0.05, 3.09) |
- |
| Urinary tract problems |
36 (13.7) |
447 (1.1) |
14.68 (8.04, 26.81) |
29.43 (19.25, 44.98) |
| Worried parent |
0 |
346 (0.9) |
- |
- |
| Eye problems |
1 (0.4) |
901 (2.3) |
0.27 (0.04, 2.06) |
- |
| Pregnancy problems |
0 |
412 (1.1) |
- |
- |
| Other |
12 (4.6) |
2,901 (7.4) |
0.73 (0.35, 1.55) |
- |
|
No triage |
17 (6.5) |
4,098 (10.5) |
- |
- |
|
Triage level |
|
|
|
|
| Immediate & very urgent |
53 (20.2) |
5,286 (14.0) |
Reference |
Reference |
| Urgent |
123 (46.9) |
11,749 (31.1) |
1.42 (0.99, 2.02) |
1.48 (1.04, 2.11) |
| Standard & non-urgent |
86 (32.8) |
20,768 (54.9) |
1.05 (0.68, 1.61) |
1.16 (0.76, 1.76) |
| No triage | 1 (0.4) | 1,156 (3.0) | - | - |
1Adjusted for other variables by logistic regression, OR >1 indicate an increased risk of frequent visit.
2Model based on 38,065 observations due to 1,157 missing values.
*Hosmer-Lemeshow test 0.14, AUC ROC 0.79 (95% CI, 0.76–0.82).