More than one-quarter of children with a mental health (MH) ED visit return to the ED or are hospitalized within 6 months, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Jennifer A. Hoffmann, MD, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study involving 28,551 children aged 6-17 with MH ED discharges. Of children, 31.2% and 55.8% had an outpatient MH visit within 7 and 30 days, respectively, of ED discharge. Within 6 months, the return rate was 26.5%. Children with 14 or more past-year MH visits had 9.53 higher adjusted odds of accessing follow-up care within 30 days compared with those with no past-year out-
patient MH visits. Follow-up within 30 days was associated with a significantly reduced risk for return within 5 days of the index ED discharge (HR, 0.74); however, the risk for return increased thereafter.
