Abstract
Background
Dyspepsia is a common complaint that can confer significant burden on one's quality
of life and may also be associated with serious underlying conditions. The objective
of this study was to determine if patients admitted to the emergency department observation
unit (EDOU) for severe or persistent dyspepsia would have cost effective management
in terms of investigations performed, length and cost of hospital stay. The secondary
objective was to determine if any patient characteristics could predict a need for
admission to the inpatient unit.
Methods
Retrospective chart reviews of patients admitted to the EDOU under the Dyspepsia protocol
between January 2008 and August 2014 were conducted. Baseline demographics, investigations
performed, outcomes related to EDOU stay, admission and 30-day re-presentation outcomes
were recorded.
Results
A total of 1304 patients were included. Median length of stay was 1 day. Cumulative bed-saved days were 38 per month. Two hundred eighteen (16.7%) patients
required admission to the inpatient service for further management, while 533 (40.9%)
and 313 (24.0%) patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and hepatobiliary ultrasonography,
respectively. No major adverse events were attributed to the EDOU admissions or delays
in treatment. No significant clinically relevant factors were associated with a need
for admission from the EDOU to the inpatient unit. Median cost of the EDOU admission
was approximately one-third that of a similar admission to the inpatient unit.
Conclusion
The EDOU is an appropriate setting to facilitate investigations and treatment of patients
with dyspepsia with considerable bed-saved days.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 03, 2018
Accepted:
January 18,
2018
Received in revised form:
January 15,
2018
Received:
October 30,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
