Dr. Juan Fitz is a staff emergency physician at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. He is also on the clinical faculty at Texas tech Health Sciences Center. Dr. Fitz is a longtime member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and serves as a national spokesperson for ACEP. If you've taken a trip to the hospital recently, you might feel like there's an overflow of patients, resulting in you being treated and discharged as quickly as possible.
However, if there are complications following your treatment, you may have to make a second trip to the ER.
New research suggests that it's becoming more common for people to make repeated visits at the ER.
Researchers looked at roughly 53 million ER visits where the patient was treated and sent home between 2006 and 2010, the latest available data. About eight percent of patients returned within three days, and one in five patients made a repeat visit within the month.
Does this mean that follow-up appointments should be made initially?
Dr. Juan Fitz shares why there's so many repeated ER visits and if ER follow-up appointments are necessary.
Repeated ER Visits: Should there Be More Follow-Up Care?
Guest
: Juan Fitz, MD
From the Show: The Dr. Leigh Vinocur Show
Summary: Are follow-up appointments always needed?
Air Date: 6/19/15
Duration: 10
Host: Leigh Vinocur, MD
Tagged under