Where Does it Hurt? Hospital ER Trends
For all Americans, a hospital Emergency Room is an important access point for critically – pun intended – important health care. ERs are vital for community health maintenance. And given the sheer volume of visits, any hospital’s ER is an important source of patient volume and possible admissions.
But what, exactly, are ER staffers attending to? In a healthcare-related fact sheet, HealthLeaders magazine listed the top ER diagnosis. The abridged list below – reformatted here as a “Top 10 List” – is a fascinating snapshot of what ails Americans – and what prompts them to seek immediate care. The stats below, from 2006, rank ER diagnoses that led to same-day discharges.
| Rank | Diagnosis | Total number of discharges |
| 1 | Sprains and strains | 6,375,245 |
| 2 | Superficial injury, contusion | 6,107, 869 |
| 3 | Upper respiratory infections | 5,285,382 |
| 4 | abdominal pain | 4,381,653 |
| 5 | Open wounds of extremities | 3,697,836 |
| 6 | Intervertebral disc disorders, and other back problems | 3,236,278 |
| 7 | Nonspecific chest pain | 3,018,660 |
| 8 | Headache (including migrane) | 2,825,233 |
| 9 | Open wounds of head, neck, and trunk | 2,692,292 |
| 10 | Skin and subcutaneous tissue infections | 2,610,735 |
The next five are “other injuries,” urinary tract infections, otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear), upper limb fracture and connective tissue disease. The list points to the important role ERs have for both the medically distressed and for hospitals in need of revenues. To us, the ailments also bring to mind the signature line from “Hill Street Blues,” our favorite 80s-era police TV drama: “Hey, let’s be careful out there!”
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