|
Overview :
Certain patients with one or more chronic diseases will come
to the Emergency Department (ED) to get a drug refill. Certain risk factors can
help identify these patients and may suggests ways to reduce this behavior. The
authors are from the University of Texas Southwestern and Parkland Health and
Hospital System in Dallas.
Patient selection: patient with chronic disease requiring
refill of an essential medicine
Factors identifying a person who is likely to come to the ED
for the drug refill:
(1) age < 50
years
(2)
Afro-American
(3) low income
(less than $5,000 per year)
(4) unfamiliar
with what the numbers on the drug container mean (refill number, pharmacy phone
number, etc.)
(5) told by the
pharmacy to call the primary physician in order to get a refill order
(6) self-pay
status (uninsured)
(7) admitted to
the hospital in the previous 12 months
(8) reliance on
the ED for health care
Interrestingly half of the patients had been out of the drug
for 10 or more days (were they waiting for a check so that they could pay for
the drug?).
|