RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of the study was to determine the factors that are associated with repeat emergency department (ED) visits in children with diabetes. METHODS: Emergency department charts and billing data for children up to 18 years of age presenting to the ED with diabetic diagnoses over a 4-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: The overall rate of repeat visits to the ED was 0.24 visits per person-year of follow-up time. In univariate analyses, there were statistically significant effects of age, insurance category, sex, type of practice, and income. In a multivariate analysis, there was a significant interaction of insurance category and age. Revisit rate ratios for children older than 6 years were higher for those with Medicaid compared with those with commercial insurance. Diabetic boys were less likely to revisit the ED than were girls. CONCLUSIONS: Type of insurance was associated with repeated visits to the ED in children with diabetes. Other contributing factors included age group and sex.