Emergency Department Unplanned Re-Attendances Within 48 Hours

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
Australia
Publishing Organisation
Government of South Australia: SA Health Key Performance Indicators 2023-24
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Domain
Hospitalisation

Defining Attributes

Definition

Proportion of emergency department (ED) presentations identified as an unplanned re-attendance occurring within 48 hours of initial presentation.

Numerator

Count of ED presentations identified as an unplanned attendance within 48 hours of initial presentation.

Denominator

Count of ED presentations where previous Departure Status is Not Stated, Unknown or Episode Complete.

Exclusions

Planned review, planned admissions

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Admitted Patient Care (APC), formerly Integrated South Australian Activity Collection (ISAAC). All hospitals are required to submit data to APC monthly. APC forms part of the Admitted Patient Care National Minimum Data Set through submission to AIHW.

Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods

SA Health Service Agreements 2023-2024. Not publicly reported based on current evidence.

Reporting Frequency
Monthly
Reporting Frequency in Days
30
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
Yes

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