ArticlePloS one2025
Emergency care utilization by refugee children compared to controls: A statewide database analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Health Care Utilization Profiles in Young Ukrainian Refugee Children.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Behavioral health needs of newcomer patients in a pediatric emergency department.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Healthcare Access Dynamics and Characteristics of Foreign Nationals Using Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Study from Türkiye.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRefugees face barriers to accessing healthcare despite provision of short-term services after arrival. Limited access to sustained primary care may lead to increased emergency department (ED) utilization and little is known regarding how refugee children access emergency care.
objectiveTo compare the proportion of ED claims and median level of service (LOS) between refugee children and general population controls in a statewide claims database.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of medical claims for patients aged 0 to 18 years old in a statewide claims database from 2014-2019. Refugee claims were identified using deterministic linkage of children with known refugee status. Procedure and diagnosis ICD9/10, Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, and Current Procedural Terminology codes were obtained from the statewide database to indicate type of claim (ED vs outpatient) and LOS. Demographics were extracted from a data warehouse. Primary outcome was the number of ED claims per 1000 combined ED and outpatient claims. LOS was measured as a proxy for ED visit complexity. We compared demographics, frequency of claims, and median LOS using chi-square.
resultsThere were 5,590,808 total claims with 1,235,476 ED claims. Median number of ED claims per individual patient was the same between groups, however the proportion of claims related to an ED visit was significantly higher in the refugee population than the general population controls (244 vs 221, p = 0.001). Median LOS for ED claims was Level 3 (99283) and there was no difference between groups.
conclusionProportion of ED claims was higher in a refugee population compared to controls with no differences in LOS, indicating higher ED utilization among refugees for all acuity levels. Further study is needed to determine if healthcare disparities account for this difference and if population specific services may support the care of the refugee children.
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