Characteristics of frequent emergency department users in Korea: a 4-year retrospective analysis using Korea Health Panel Study data

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the characteristics of frequent emergency department (ED) users in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the Korea Health Panel Study data of a sampled population from the 2005 Population Census of Korea data, and adults (age ≥18 years) who visited the ED at least once a year between 2014 and 2017 were included in the study. People who visited three or more times a year were classified as frequent users. We compared demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors between nonfrequent and frequent users. We used a multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine factors related to frequent ED visits. We also compared the characteristics of ED use in both nonfrequent and frequent users. RESULTS: A total of 5,090 panels were included, comprising 6,853 visits. Frequent users were 333 (6.5% of all panels), and their ED visits were 1,364 (19.9% of all ED visits). In the multivariable regression analysis, medical aid coverage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] of the National Health Service coverage, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40–0.75), unemployment (aOR of employment, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56–0.91), prior ward admission in a year (aOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.67–2.75), and frequent outpatient department use (aOR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.35–2.20) were associated with frequent use. Moreover, frequent users visited the ED of public hospitals more often than than nonfrequent users (19.2% vs. 9.8%). Medical problems rather than injury/poisoning were the more common reasons for visiting the ED (84.5% vs. 71.2%). CONCLUSION: We found that frequent ED users were likely to be those with socioeconomic disadvantage or with high demand for medical service. Based on this study, further studies on interventions to reduce frequent ED use are required for better ED services.