Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de santé publique
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Can J Public Health · Jan 2015
Space and time clustering of adolescents' emergency department use and post-visit physician care for mood disorders in Alberta, Canada: A population-based 9-year retrospective study.
We used a statistical cluster detection technique to identify geographic areas with higher numbers of adolescents who 1) presented to an emergency department (ED) for a mood disorder, and 2) were without a physician follow-up visit for mental health within 30 days of an ED visit. ⋯ The potential clusters identified may represent geographic areas with higher disease severity or more acute care sought because of less availability of other services. The clusters are not all likely to have occurred by chance and further investigations and discussions with local health care policy makers about reducing the number of ED visits for mood disorders and increasing physician follow-up after the ED visit is an important next step.