Patients Who Returned to the Emergency Department Within 72 Hours
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Health Quality Council of Alberta: FOCUS (Fostering Open Communications that Unleash Solutions) on Emergency Departments
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Domain
Hospitalisation
Defining Attributes
Definition
Percentage of patients discharged from the emergency department who return, whether planned or unplanned, within 72 hours to any emergency department or urgent care centre
Numerator
Total number of return visits within 72 hours of discharge
Denominator
Total number of emergency department discharges
Exclusions
None
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods
National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). This database contains data for all hospital-based and community-based ambulatory care (day surgery, outpatient and community-based clinics, emergency departments). Information on client visits is collected at the time of service in participating facilities.
Frequency of Data Collection
Quarterly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
91
Reporting Methods
FOCUS on Healthcare on the Health Quality Council of Alberta website
Reporting Frequency
Monthly and quarterly (updated quarterly)
Reporting Frequency in Days
30-91
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
02 December 2025
Contents
Actions
Date Modified 02 December 2025