American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 6 , Pages 682-688, July 2010

The effect of an observation unit on the rate of ED admission and discharge for pyelonephritis☆

  • Jon W. Schrock, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44109-1998, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 216 778 5747; fax: +1 216 778 5349.
    • ,
  • Svetlana Reznikova, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44109-1998, USA
    • ,
  • Suki Weller, MD

      Affiliations

    • Seton Hospital, Austin, TX, USA

Received 19 January 2009; received in revised form 2 March 2009; accepted 3 March 2009. published online 16 July 2009.

Abstract 

Objectives

We sought to determine if the opening of an adult emergency department (ED) observation unit (OU) would impact the rate of hospital admission and ED discharges for pyelonephritis.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed with all adult patients from October 2003 through December 2006 in the ED meeting inclusion criteria for pyelonephritis. Clinical, demographic, and laboratory data were recorded. Primary outcomes were rates of admission, ED discharge, and return ED visits before and after the opening of our OU. We compared admission, discharge, and readmission rates using the χ2 test.

Results

Nine hundred thirty charts were reviewed with 633 included for analysis. Urine cultures were performed on 420 subjects with 71% being positive. The percentage of patients admitted to a hospital inpatient unit from the ED decreased from 36% to 26% (relative risk [RR], 0.73; P = .01) after opening the OU. The percentage of patients discharged home from the ED decreased from 65% to 51% (RR, 0.76; P < .001). Among OU patients, 29% were admitted to the hospital for further inpatient care. Emergency department recidivism was unchanged by opening the OU (RR, 0.86; P = .68).

Conclusions

The creation of an OU appears to influence admission decisions of ED physicians. We found that the creation of an OU significantly reduced hospital admissions for pyelonephritis but also significantly reduced ED discharges to home for pyelonephritis at our institution.

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☆ Research presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly in Seattle, Wash, October, 18 2007.

PII: S0735-6757(09)00130-2

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2009.03.003

American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 28, Issue 6 , Pages 682-688, July 2010

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