The following is a summary of “Profile of emergency department overuse in hospitalized patients with pulmonary disease and its impact on mortality,” published in the November 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Barbosa et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the size and characteristics of patients with pulmonary disease who overused the emergency department (ED) and to identify factors linked with mortality.
They reviewed the medical records of ED frequent users (ED-FU) with pulmonary disease at a university hospital center in northern Lisbon, spanning from January 1 to December 31, 2019. A follow-up was conducted until December 31, 2020, to assess mortality.
The results showed that 5,567 (4.3%) patients were identified as ED-FU, with 174 (0.14%) having pulmonary disease as the primary condition, leading to 1,030 ED visits. Among these, 77.2% of visits were classified as “urgent/very urgent.” The patient profile was characterized by a mean age of 67.8 years, a predominance of males, social and economic vulnerability, and a high burden of chronic conditions and comorbidities, while 33.9% of patients lacked a family physician, a key factor related to high mortality (P <0.001; OR: 24.394; 95% CI: 6.777–87.805). Advanced cancer and autonomy deficits were also significant prognostic factors.
Investigators concluded the pulmonary ED-FU was a vulnerable population with high morbidity and mortality, particularly those without a family physician, advanced cancer, or functional limitations.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2531043723000120
