Résumé
Background
In recent years, many countries including Luxembourg have faced the challenge of high use of Emergency Departments (EDs). High ED use can create inefficiencies in service delivery and result in poor patient outcomes. In order to address the problem of high demand for ED care, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of patients who use EDs. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between patient characteristics and ED use in Luxembourg.
Methods
We used data for Luxembourg collected as part of a European study on the Quality and Costs of Primary Care (QUALICOPC) between October 2011 and December 2013. Survey data was collected from 713 adult patients, aged 18 years and over who attended 80 primary care practices. The dependent variable was a binary variable on ED use equal to one if a patient visited an ED at least once during the previous 12 months. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to identify patient characteristics associated with ED attendance.
Results
Overall, 34% of participants attended the ED at least once during the previous 12
months. Patients aged 50-65 years (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.22 – 0.67) or 65 years and over (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12 – 0.64) were less likely to attend the ED. Patients
with poor self-reported general health were more likely to visit the ED compared
to patients who reported very good health (OR 3.48, 95% CI 1.52 – 7.99).
Conclusions
Since the survey was undertaken, the government has introduced several policies
to address the high use of EDs. Future research could collect new data in order to assess these policies and also investigate supply-side factors.
In recent years, many countries including Luxembourg have faced the challenge of high use of Emergency Departments (EDs). High ED use can create inefficiencies in service delivery and result in poor patient outcomes. In order to address the problem of high demand for ED care, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of patients who use EDs. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between patient characteristics and ED use in Luxembourg.
Methods
We used data for Luxembourg collected as part of a European study on the Quality and Costs of Primary Care (QUALICOPC) between October 2011 and December 2013. Survey data was collected from 713 adult patients, aged 18 years and over who attended 80 primary care practices. The dependent variable was a binary variable on ED use equal to one if a patient visited an ED at least once during the previous 12 months. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to identify patient characteristics associated with ED attendance.
Results
Overall, 34% of participants attended the ED at least once during the previous 12
months. Patients aged 50-65 years (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.22 – 0.67) or 65 years and over (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12 – 0.64) were less likely to attend the ED. Patients
with poor self-reported general health were more likely to visit the ED compared
to patients who reported very good health (OR 3.48, 95% CI 1.52 – 7.99).
Conclusions
Since the survey was undertaken, the government has introduced several policies
to address the high use of EDs. Future research could collect new data in order to assess these policies and also investigate supply-side factors.
| langue originale | Anglais |
|---|---|
| Pages (de - à) | 21-31 |
| journal | Bulletin de la Societe des Sciences Medicales du Grand-Duche de Luxembourg |
| Volume | 2021 |
| Numéro de publication | 2 |
| état | Publié - 2022 |
Une note bibliographique
This research was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (C19/BM/13723812).