title: Avoiding emergency department visits for COPD, pneumonia, and heart failure: when should patients go to the emergency department?
abstract: Patients with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart failure make frequent visits to the emergency department. Heart failure alone is the reason for more than 1 million emergency department visits annually in the United States. This article describes strategies home care clinicians can use to prevent unnecessary emergency department visits for patients with pneumonia, COPD and heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Deborah Fritz, PhD, FNP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner, St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri. Patricia McKenzie, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, is an Adult Nurse Practitioner, Home-Based Transitional Care Team-Heart Failure, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKenzie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D064650:Home Health Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*