Annals of emergency medicine
-
This study aims to develop and validate measures of experiences of an emergency department (ED) visit suitable for use by older adults or their family members. ⋯ Two scales assessing important aspects of ED care experienced by older adults are ready for further evaluation in other settings.
-
We determine episodic and high-quantity prescribers' contribution to opioid prescriptions and total morphine milligram equivalents in California, especially among individuals prescribed large amounts of opioids. ⋯ Episodic prescribers contribute minimally to total opioid prescriptions, especially among individuals categorized as using high morphine milligram equivalents. Interventions focused on reducing opioid prescriptions in the episodic care setting are unlikely to yield important reductions in the prescription opioid supply; conversely, targeting high-quantity prescribers has the potential to create substantial reductions.
-
Many policymakers believe that expanding access to outpatient care will reduce emergency department (ED) use. However, outpatient health care providers often refer their patients to EDs for evaluation and management. We examine the factors underlying outpatient provider referral, its effect on ED visit volume, and whether referred ED visits are more likely to result in hospitalization than self-referred visits. ⋯ Almost one quarter of individuals' most recent ED visits were driven by referrals from outpatient health care providers. Being referred to the ED by an outpatient provider is strongly associated with the seriousness of one's medical condition, which also increases the odds of hospitalization compared with ED discharge. After controlling for seriousness of medical condition, ED referral by an outpatient provider continues to have an independent association with hospitalization.
-
The link between prescription opioid shopping and overdose events is poorly understood. We test the hypothesis that a history of prescription opioid shopping is associated with increased risk of overdose events. ⋯ Prescription opioid shopping is not independently associated with increased risk of overdose events.