Can We Use Syndromic Surveillance Data to Identify Primary Care Visits to NYC EDs?

NYC EDs saw nearly 4 million visits in 2011. Studies have demon- strated that non-urgent visits can account for more than 50% of vis- its to EDs. Designed to provide rapid diagnosis and first-line treatment of serious illness, EDs often function as a primary care site due to their accessibility. Unfortunately, use of EDs for primary care may affect their ability to meet the needs of severely ill patients.

Objective

To develop a syndrome classification based on patient chief com- plaint to (1) estimate the proportion of primary care-related emer- gency department (ED) visits in New York City (NYC) hospitals and (2) explore predictors of such visits.