Low back pain presentations to rural, regional, and metropolitan emergency departments.
Simon R E Davidson, Steven J Kamper, Robin Haskins and 8 others
PMID 35229394WHAT IT FOUND
Low back pain emergency visits differed by remoteness and staffing.
Outer regional visits were shorter but had more five-day re-presentation than major city visits. Specialist-staffed visits were longer, yet admission rates were similar.
Key findings
01Low back pain accounted for 1.3% of all emergency department presentations across the district.
02Major city emergency departments had a median 206 minutes in emergency department and 6.0% five-day re-presentation; outer regional emergency departments had a median 89 minutes and 11.8% five-day re-presentation.
03FACEM-staffed facilities had a median 192 minutes in emergency department, GPVMO-staffed facilities had a median 94 minutes, and both had an 18.6% hospital admission rate.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Some presentations may have been missed if low back pain was present but not coded as the principal or secondary diagnosis. The study did not include remote or very remote areas or capital cities, because none were in the sampled health district. It did not record treatments delivered or patient outcomes, so it cannot show which care changes would improve re-presentation or length of stay. It cannot show why time in emergency department, re-presentation, or admission rates differ across locations or staffing portfolios. Patients under 12 years were excluded, so it does not describe paediatric presentations.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. CW and SK received salary funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read shorter emergency department stays as better care. The study only describes service indicators and cannot show why re-presentation rates differ or whether any intervention would improve them.