Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37752441›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of emergency medicine2023

Do patients referred to emergency departments after being assessed in primary care differ from other ED patients? Retrospective analysis of a random sample from two German metropolitan EDs.

Andreas Umgelter, Markus Faust, Slatomir Wenske, Katrin Umgelter, Roland M Schmid, Georg Walter

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of emergency medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Andreas UmgelterII. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany. andreas.umgelter@tum.de.
Markus FaustII. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Slatomir WenskeZentrale Notfallversorgung, Vivantes Humboldt Klinikum, 13509, Berlin, Germany.
Katrin UmgelterKlinik Für Interdisziplinäre Intensivmedizin, Vivantes Humboldt Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
Roland M SchmidII. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Georg WalterZentrale Notfallversorgung, Vivantes Klinikum Spandau, Berlin, Germany.
Klinikum rechts der Isar · DEVivantes Klinikum · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo assess differences between patients referred to emergency departments by a primary care physician (PCP) and those presenting directly and the impact of referral on the likelihood of admission. DESIGN OF STUDY: Retrospective cohort study.

settingEDs of two nonacademic general hospitals in a German metropolitan region.

participantsRandom sample of 1500 patients out of 80,845 presentations during the year 2019.

resultsAge was 55.8 ± 22.9 years, and 51.4% was female. A total of 34.7% presented by emergency medical services (EMS), and 47.7% were walk-ins. One-hundred seventy-four (11.9%) patients were referred by PCPs. Referrals were older (62.4 ± 20.1 vs 55.0 ± 23.1 years, p < .001) and had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (3 (1-5) vs 2 (0-4); p < .001). Referrals received more ultrasound examinations independently from their admission status (27.6% vs 15.7%; p < .001) and more CT and laboratory investigations. There were no differences in sex, Manchester Triage System (MTS) category, or pain-scale values. Referrals presented by EMS less often (9.2% vs 38.5%; p < .001). Admission rates were 62.6% in referrals and 37.1% in non-referrals (p < .001). Referral (OR 3.976 95% CI: 2.595-6.091), parenteral medication in ED (OR 2.674 (1.976-3.619)), higher MTS category (1.725 (1.421-2.093)), transport by EMS (1.623 (1.212-2.172)), abnormal vital parameters (1.367 (0.953-1.960)), higher CCI (1.268 (1.196-1.344)), and trauma (1.268 (1.196-1.344)) were positively associated with admission in multivariable analysis, whereas ultrasound in ED (0.450 (0.308-0.658)) and being a nursing home resident (0.444 (0.270-0.728)) were negatively associated.

conclusionReferred patients were more often admitted. They received more laboratory investigations, ultrasound examinations, and computed tomographies. Difficult decisions regarding the necessity of admission requiring typical resources of EDs may be a reason for PCP referrals.

Indexed as

ComorbidityDiagnostic imagingEmergency serviceHospitalPrimary health careQuality of healthcare

Identifiers

PMID37752441
PMCPMC10523768
OpenAlexW4387041434

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.