An AHRQ Statistical Brief shows of 14 million emergency department (ED) visits in 2018, 86 percent were treated and released from the ED. Abdominal pain, acute upper respiratory infections and nonspecific chest pain were the most common reasons for treat-and-release ED visits.
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Brief – Statistical Brief #286: Most Frequent Reasons for Emergency Department Visits, 2018 – presents statistics on the most common reasons for ED visits using weighted estimates from the 2018 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). The most common first-listed or principal diagnoses, organized by body system or condition, are presented for visits that result in discharge from the ED without hospital admission (treat-and-release) and for ED visits that result in admission to the hospital. The most frequent specific first-listed diagnoses among treat-and-release ED visits also are provided overall and by patient sex, age group, and primary expected payer. Note that these data reflect a time period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more:
- AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #286, Most Frequent Reasons for Emergency Department Visits, 2018. December 2021