Predictor Factors for Emergency Department revisiting of children with acute gastroenteritis: case-control study

Abstract

The objective of this work is to describe risk factors for reconsultation in patients with an acute gastroenteritis diagnosis, identifiable in their first visit to the Emergency Department.

Patients and Method: Case-control study, including patients aged between 0-16 years who consulted in the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary hospital for 4 years. The case is defined as the episode with a gastroenteritis diagnosis that reconsulted within 72 hours. A control was selected for each case, which was the first patient to consult after each case with the same diagnosis and not reconsulted later. Epidemiological and clinical variables, and diagnostic-therapeutic interventions carried out during the first visit were studied. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the reconsultation risk were performed using logistic regression models.

Results: Gastroenteritis diagnoses accounted for 5.3% of all ED visits. 745 patients (6.2%) reconsulted within 72 hours. Multivariate analysis found association between reconsultation with each year of increasing age (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.97), absence of rotavirus vaccination (OR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.11-1.95), no prior assessment in primary care (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.09-2.19), increased stool output in the last 24 hours (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.10), and stool collection in the ED (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.05-2.24).

Conclusions: Younger patients with an increased stool output are especially susceptible to return to the ED for consultation. Rotavirus vaccination could reduce reconsultation. None of the diagnostic-therapeutic actions carried out seems to reduce the number of visits to the ED.