Duration of symptoms and follow-up patterns of patients discharged from the emergency department after presenting with abdominal or flank pain.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the duration of symptoms and follow-up patterns of patients seen in emergency departments for abdominal or flank pain.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to measure the duration of symptoms and follow-up rate of patients discharged home from the emergency department after presenting with non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain.


METHODS
We conducted a single-centre, prospective descriptive study of adult patients who presented to our emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain and were discharged from the emergency department. We gathered clinical data during the index emergency department visit and conducted telephone interviews of subjects 2-5 weeks later.


RESULTS
We reached 63 of 90 subjects (70%). The median duration of pain was 3 days after the emergency department visit. During the follow-up period, only 41% had followed-up with their family physician or primary care provider, although an additional 21% had planned to. Persistence of symptoms was common in the 37% of subjects who did not follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Of subjects discharged from the emergency department after visits for non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain, most improve within several days. Fewer than half follow-up with a family practitioner or a primary care provider. Emergency department revisits are uncommon and often for unrelated problems.
Weiner
Justin B
JB
Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Nagurney
J Tobias
JT
Brown
David F M
DF
Sane
Swati
S
Wang
Andrew C
AC
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D021501:Flank Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies