LAUSR

OBJECTIVE Identify the self-reported frequency of emergency department (ED) visits, ED related hospitalizations, and reasons for ED visits among people with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and compare them with general population data from the same geographic area. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING A specialty hospital in the Southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS The participants (N = 648) were community-dwelling adults (18 years and older) with a traumatic SCI, who were at least one year post-injury. A comparison group of 9,728 individuals from the general population was retrieved from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)1. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participants completed self-report assessments on ED visits, ED hospitalizations, and reasons for ED visits in the past 12 months using items from the NHIS. RESULTS Thirty-seven percent of participants with SCI reported at least one ED visit, and 18% reported at least one ED hospitalization in the past 12 months. Among those having at least one ED visit, 49% were admitted to hospitals. After controlling for sex, age, and race/ethnicity, SCI participants were 151% more likely to visit the ED (OR = 2.51) and 249% more likely to have at least one ED hospitalization than the NHIS sample (OR = 3.49). Persons with SCI had a higher percentage of ED visits due to severe health conditions, reported an ED was the closest provider, and were more likely to arrive by ambulance. NHIS participants were more likely to visit the ED because no other option was available. CONCLUSIONS Compared to those in the general population, individuals with SCI have substantially higher rates of ED visits, yet ED visits are not regularly assessed within the SCI Model Systems. ED visits may indicate the need for intervention beyond the acute condition leading directly to the ED visits and an opportunity to link individuals with resources needed to maintain function in the community.