title: Unplanned return visit to emergency department: a descriptive study from a tertiary care hospital in a low-income country.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, causes, and factors associated with unplanned return visits to emergency department of a tertiary care centre in a low-income country. We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients who had unplanned returned visit to our emergency department within 48 h of their initial visit during a 1-year study period. The incidence of unplanned revisits is 2%. Two-thirds (69%) of these patients were adults. The most common presenting complaint was fever (29%). During return visits 55% of patients required admission. On multivariable logistic regression model; fever, triage categories 1 and 2, and patients leaving against medical advice were the independent risk factors for revisits requiring admission. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of return visits in our setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. nadeemullah.khan@aku.edu
authors.forename: Nadeem Ullah
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Junaid Abdul
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Razzak
authors.forename: Ali Faisal
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.forename: Uzma Rahim
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Mohammed Umer
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Mir
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aashiq
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D033181:Information Dissemination; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014218:Triage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult