Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37198554›Full record

Trial reportBMC geriatrics2023

Frequencies and reasons for unplanned emergency department return visits by older adults: a cohort study.

Merel van Loon-van Gaalen, Ilje E Voshol, M Christien van der Linden, Jacobijn Gussekloo, Roos C van der Mast

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC geriatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Extending emergency care beyond discharge: Piloting a virtual after care clinic.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Merel van Loon-van GaalenEmergency Department, Haaglanden Medical Center, P.O. Box 432, 2501 CK, The Hague, The Netherlands. m.van.loon@haaglandenmc.nl.
Ilje E VosholGeriCall, The Hague, The Netherlands.
M Christien van der LindenEmergency Department, Haaglanden Medical Center, P.O. Box 432, 2501 CK, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Jacobijn GusseklooDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Roos C van der MastDepartment of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Leiden University Medical Center · NLMedisch Centrum Haaglanden · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs unplanned Emergency Department (ED) return visits (URVs) are associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults, many EDs have initiated post-discharge interventions to reduce URVs. Unfortunately, most interventions fail to reduce URVs, including telephone follow-up after ED discharge, investigated in a recent trial. To understand why these interventions were not effective, we analyzed patient and ED visit characteristics and reasons for URVs within 30 days for patients aged ≥ 70 years.

methodsData was used from a randomized controlled trial, investigating whether telephone follow-up after ED discharge reduced URVs compared to a satisfaction survey call. Only observational data from control group patients were used. Patient and index ED visit characteristics were compared between patients with and without URVs. Two independent researchers determined the reasons for URVs and categorized them into: patient-related, illness-related, new complaints and other reasons. Associations were examined between the number of URVs per patient and the categories of reasons for URVs.

resultsOf the 1659 patients, 222 (13.4%) had at least one URV within 30 days. Male sex, ED visit in the 30 days before the index ED visit, triage category "urgent", longer length of ED stay, urinary tract problems, and dyspnea were associated with URVs. Of the 222 patients with an URV, 31 (14%) returned for patient-related reasons, 95 (43%) for illness-related reasons, 76 (34%) for a new complaint and 20 (9%) for other reasons. URVs of patients who returned ≥ 3 times were mostly illness-related (72%).

conclusionAs the majority of patients had an URV for illness-related reasons or new complaints, these data fuel the discussion as to whether URVs can or should be prevented.

trial registrationFor this cohort study, we used data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT). This trial was pre-registered in the Netherlands Trial Register with number NTR6815 on the 7

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalPatient ReadmissionAgedCohort StudiesHumansMalePatient DischargeTriageEmergency departmentGeriatricOlder patientsReturn presentationsUnplanned return

Identifiers

PMID37198554
PMCPMC10193595
OpenAlexW4376866365

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.