Adolescent Emergency Department Use: Reflecting Unmet Primary Health Care Needs
Background: Despite a national consensus on the importance of improving access to health care for adolescents, emergency departments (EDs) continue to be used by many adolescents and young adults as a primary source of care.
Objective: This study explores recent trends in rates of ED use by age group.
Methods: Emergency Department data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative sample of 398 EDs in the United States were analyzed in order to identify recent trends in emergency room use by different age groups.
Results: ED use for ages under 11 consistently decreased from 1993 (20%) to 1998 (17%). Ages 11 to 14 and 15 to 17 demonstrate similar trends, by year, from 1993 to 1997. However, from 1997 to 1998, for ages 11-14, ED use increased, while for ages 15-17, ED use decreased. ED use among ages 18 to 21 demonstrates a consistent decline, until 1997, after which ED use increased.
Conclusion: ED use often reflects the extent of barriers to accessing health care. The differing trends of ED use by age group suggest that among adolescent populations, there may be different barriers to accessing care and different health care decision making behavior at play. These differences have implications for community based interventions promoting access to primary care (i.e. facilitated enrollment for SCHIP) and target adolescents as a singular group.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Access to Health Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.