Uncompleted Emergency Department Care (UEDC): a 5-year population-based study in Veneto Region, Italy.
JPMH_2019_60_01
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Keywords

Emergency Department Care
health care services

Abstract

Introduction: Uncompleted visits in the emergency department (UEDC) are a patient safety concern. The purpose of this study was to further investigate risk factors for UEDC, describing socio-demographic characteristics but also access and hospital characteristics both of those left AMA and those who LWBS.

 Methods: this was a retrospective case–control study on administrative anonymous data using a population-based emergency department database.

Results: overall, 9,147,415 patients attended the EDs of Veneto Region from 2011 to 2015. Rate of UEDC was 28,7‰, composed by slightly higher rate of AMA compared to LWBS (15,3‰ Vs 13,4‰). Age, sex, citizenship, residence are sociodemographic factors associated with UEDC and also the characteristics of access as admission mode, the type of referring, the emergency level, waiting time of visit and the type of complaint, finally also the characteristics of the structure as type and volume of hospital could be associate with UEDC.

Conclusion: Patients with Uncompleted Emergency Department Care both those who leave AMA and LWBS greatly differs from other not UEDC.  These results are important for planning and staffing health services. Decision makers should identify and target factors to minimise walkouts from public hospital emergency departments.

https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2019.60.1.1062
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