Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rates of emergency department utilization and hospital admission due to general surgery conditions.

BACKGROUND: Recent literature reports a decrease in healthcare-seeking behaviours by adults during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that emergency general surgery (GS) conditions are often associated with high morbidity and mortality if left untreated, the objective of this study was to describe and quantify the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rates of emergency department (ED) utilization and hospital admission due to GS conditions. METHODS: This cohort study involved the analysis of an institutional database and retrospective chart review. We identified adult patients presenting to the ED in a network of three teaching hospitals in Montreal, Canada during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (March13-May13, 2020) and a control pre-pandemic period (March13-May13, 2019). Patients with GS conditions were included in the analysis. ED utilization rates, admission rates and 30-day outcomes were compared between the two periods using multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: During the pandemic period, 258 patients presented to ED with a GS diagnosis compared to 351 patients pre-pandemically (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) 0.75; p < 0.001). Rate of hospital admission during the pandemic was also significantly lower (aRR = 0.77, p < 0.001). Patients had a significantly shorter ED stay during the pandemic (adjusted mean difference 5.0 h; p < 0.001). Rates of operative management during the pandemic were preserved compared to the pre-pandemic period. There were no differences in 30-day complications (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.46; p = 0.07), ED revisits (aOR 1.10; p = 0.66) and (re)admissions (aOR 1.42; p = 0.22) between the two periods. CONCLUSION: There was a decrease in rates of ED utilization and hospital admissions due to GS conditions during the first wave of the Covid -19 pandemic; however, rates of operative management, complications and healthcare reutilization were unchanged. Although our findings are not generalizable to patients who did not seek healthcare, it was possible to successfully uphold institutional standards of care once patients presented to the ED.

Managed Care and Value-Based Payment: The Relationship Between Quality of Life Outcomes and Emergency Room Utilization.

Although Medicaid managed care is a growing service model, there is a limited evidence base regarding quality and value-based payment standards for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study examined the relationship between emergency room utilization and quality of life outcomes. We analyzed secondary Personal Outcome Measures quality of life and emergency room utilization data from 251 people with IDD. According to our findings, people with IDD with continuity and security in their lives and/or who participated in the life of the community had fewer emergency room visits, regardless of their impairment severity or dual diagnosis status. As such, the number of emergency room visits needed, and the potential expenditures associated, may be reduced by focusing on quality outcomes.

Predictors of Emergency Room Access and Not Urgent Emergency Room Access by the Frail Older Adults.

Background: Emergency rooms (ERs) overcrowded by older adults have been the focus of public health policies during the recent COVID-19 outbreak too. This phenomenon needed a change in the nursing care of older frail people. Health policies have tried to mitigate the frequent use of ER by implementing community care to meet the care demands of older adults. The present study aimed to investigate the predictors of emergency room access (ERA) and not-urgent emergency room access (NUERA) of community-dwelling frail older adults in order to provide an indication for out-of-hospital care services. Method: Secondary analysis of an observational longitudinal cohort study was carried out. The cohort consisted of 1,246 community-dwelling frail older adults (over 65 years) in the Latium region in Italy. The ER admission rate was assessed over 3 years from the administration of the functional geriatric evaluation (FGE) questionnaire. The ordinal regression model was used to identify the predictors of ERA and NUERA. Moreover, the ERA and NUERA rate per 100 observations/year was analyzed. Results: The mean age was 73.6 (SD ± 7.1) years, and 53.4% were women. NUERAs were the 39.2% of the ERAs; robust and pre-frail individuals (79.3% of the sample) generated more than two-third of ERAs (68.17%), even if frails and very frails showed the higher ER rates per observation/year. The ordinal logistic regression model highlighted a predictive role on ERAs of comorbidity (OR = 1.13, p < 0.001) and frailty level (OR = 1.29; p < 0.001). Concerning NUERAs, social network (OR 0.54, P = 0.015) and a medium score of pulmo-cardio-vascular function (OR 1.50, P = 0.006) were the predictors. Conclusion: Comorbidity, lack of social support, and functional limitations increase both ERA and NUERA rates generated by the older adult population. Overall, bio-psycho-social frailty represents an indicator of the frequency of ERAs. However, to reduce the number of ERAs, intervention should focus mainly on the robust and pre-frail needs for prevention and care.

The Impact of Home and Community Based Settings (HCBS) Final Settings Rule Outcomes on Health and Safety.

Despite physically relocating into the community, many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) fail to be meaningfully included in the community. The Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule was introduced to expand community integration, person-centered services, and choice. The aim of this exploratory study is to examine the potential impact of HCBS Settings Rule implementation, specifically by examining how the presence of HCBS Settings Rule outcomes impact three areas of health and safety. We analyzed secondary Personal Outcome Measures data relating to the HCBS Settings Rule, and emergency room visits, abuse and neglect, and injuries data from 251 people with IDD. Findings indicate a clear need to improve HCBS Settings Rule related areas of people's lives.

Evaluation of the use of Home Emergency in a Sub-Sahara African hospital: Example of the Hospital Principal in Dakar.

Overloaded emergency departments are common around the world. This prospective, descriptive, and analytical study evaluates the reasons for emergency room use and describes the severity of the patients' conditions and how they reach the emergency department. It took place at the emergency department of the principal hospital of Dakar (the Armed Forces Teaching Hospital) over a one-week period (from August 23 to August 30, 2016) and included a sample of 219 patients of both sexes aged 15 years and older. Data were collected about social and demographic characteristics, reasons for choosing the emergency department rather than other care, time of day, day of the week, accessibility, means of transport, diagnosis, and severity. More than half of patients (55 %) were men, with a mean age of 42 +/- 18. Only 10 % of patients lived within 5 km of the hospital. Most (84.5 %) came from the Dakar region and lived between 5 and 35 km from the hospital. Most patients reached the hospital by their own means (83 %). Only 2 % were transported by the public emergency ambulance service. The reasons for choosing the emergency unit were the opportunity for additional tests in 41.1 % of cases ; the desire to be hospitalized in 26.9 % ; fear of death in 26.5 %, no waiting list in 14.2 %, and lack of money in 11 % of cases. Patients in truly serious condition accounted for only 5 % of cases. Most (88 %) returned home after stabilization, 12 % were hospitalized, and 0.5 % died. Good practices, good organization, and improved complementarity between public, private, and emergency services are needed to reduce the use of the latter.

Comparative Effectiveness of Usual Source of Care Approaches to Improve End-of-Life Outcomes for Children With Intellectual Disability.

CONTEXT: Children with intellectual disability (ID) are at risk for adverse end-of-life outcomes including high emergency room utilization and hospital readmissions, along with low hospice enrollment. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of usual source of care approaches to improve end-of-life outcomes for children with ID. METHODS: We used longitudinal California Medicaid claims data. Children were included who were 21 years with fee-for-service Medicaid claims, died between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2010, and had a moderate-to-profound ID diagnosis. End-of-life outcomes (i.e., hospice enrollment, emergency room utilization, hospital readmissions) were measured via claims data. Our treatments were usual source of care (USC) only vs. usual source of care plus targeted case management (USC plus TCM). Using instrumental variable analysis, we compared the effectiveness of treatments on end-of-life outcomes. RESULTS: Ten percent of children with ID enrolled in hospice, 73% used the emergency room, and 20% had three or more hospital admissions in their last year of life. USC plus TCM relative to USC only had no effect on hospice enrollment; however, it significantly reduced the probability of emergency room utilization (B = -1.29, P < 0.05) and hospital readmissions (B = -1.71, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that USC plus TCM was more effective at improving end-of-life outcomes for children with ID. Further study of the extent of UCS and TCM involvement in reducing emergency room utilization and hospital readmissions at end of life is needed.

Patient-centered medical home implementation effects on emergency room utilization: a case study.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) concept has been commended for its potential to increase access to primary care while improving quality and health outcomes. Numerous studies have documented the benefits of the PCMH healthcare delivery modality inclusive of decreased emergency room (ER) visits among PCMH enrollees. Yet a debate wages on whether PCMHs are conceptually sound and clinically effective with few empirical studies dedicated to the study of this relatively new care delivery model (Friedberg et al. 2014; Agency for Health Research and Quality 2012; Cassidy 2010). As part of the campaign to implement the PCMH care delivery modality throughout the Military Health System, the Army Medical Command constructed a medical home at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, in December 2010. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of this medical home in reducing ER visits and found enrollees were 67% less likely than standard primary care clinic enrollees to visit the ER when controlling for age, gender, race, beneficiary category, marital status, and outpatient visits. Additionally, men were nearly half as likely as women to visit the ER, and high outpatient users were twice as likely to visit the ER. This is an encouraging study for proponents of the PCMH model. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also presented.

Multiprofessional Primary Care Units: What Affects the Clinical Performance of Italian General Practitioners?

Multiprofessional primary care models promise to deliver better care and reduce waste. This study evaluates the impact of such a model, the primary care unit (PCU), on three outcomes. A multilevel analysis within a "pre- and post-PCU" study design and a cross-sectional analysis were conducted on 215 PCUs located in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. Seven dimensions captured a set of processes and services characterizing a well-functioning PCU, or its degree of vitality. The impact of each dimension on outcomes was evaluated. The analyses show that certain dimensions of PCU vitality (i.e., the possibility for general practitioners to meet and share patients) can lead to better outcomes. However, dimensions related to the interaction and the joint works of general practitioners with other professionals tend not to have a significant or positive impact. This suggests that more effort needs to be invested to realize all the potential benefits of the PCU's multiprofessional approach to care.

The impact of emergency room utilization by depression patients on medical treatment expense in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the determinants of total medical expense for depression patients admitted through the emergency room (ER). METHODS: Data were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance sample data for 2009. SPSS version 18 was used for the statistical analysis such as descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Data included 1203 cases admitted through the ER with ICD-10 codes (F31-F39). RESULTS: In the multiple regression analysis, significant variables affecting total payment were gender (p < 0.001), age (p < 0.001), main illness (p < 0.001), course of admission to the ER (p < 0.05), and length of stay (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to build a long-term program and system for high-risk depression groups.