Open AccessEmergency admissions of ambulatory care sensitive conditions at a Japanese local hospital: An observational study
Author(s) -
Shinotsuka Manami,
Matsumura Shin,
Okada Tadao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of general and family medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2189-7948
DOI - 10.1002/jgf2.352
Subject(s) - medicine , observational study , emergency medicine , ambulatory care , asthma , emergency department , medical emergency , health care , economics , economic growth , psychiatry
Background Emergency admissions of ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are a key marker of quality of primary care and are used nationwide in some countries including the UK and Australia. There are still little data on ACSCs available in Japan. This study aimed to provide the descriptive data of the current state of ACSCs at a local hospital in Japan. Methods This is an observational study of retrospective chart review. The study setting is Funabashi Futawa Hospital (FFH), an acute care private hospital in Funabashi City, Japan. We analyzed the shares of admissions of ACSCs out of all admissions at FFH from April 2014 to March 2015. Results 5380 charts were reviewed. Emergency admissions were 3275 cases (61%) of all admissions. Emergency admissions for ACSCs accounted for 946 cases (28.9%) of all emergency admissions. Chronic ACSC is the most common subcategory. Urinary tract infection accounted most for admissions of acute ACSCs (138 cases, 4.2% of all emergency admissions). Asthma accounted most for admissions of chronic ACSCs (139 cases, 4.2%). Pneumonia accounted most for admissions of vaccine‐preventable ACSCs (99 cases, 3.0%). Conclusions This is one of the first reports describing ACSCs in Japan. Most common reasons for ACSCs were similar to the previous data from the UK, except COPD ranked lower and asthma ranked higher, respectively. Comparison among different facilities (horizontal) and over time in the same institution (longitudinal), as well as analyzing relationships between other markers of primary care quality and ACSCs, will be necessary in the future.