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

Data 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
Reporting Frequency in Days
30-91
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

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
12 March 2025