The impact of follow-up physician visits on emergency readmissions for patients with asthma and COPD: a population based study

PURPOSE: To examine the relation between follow-up office visits after emergency discharge and the risk of emergency re-admissions in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pul-monary disease (COPD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We used population-based data to identify all patients in Alberta, Canada, who had at least one emergency visit for asthma or COPD between April 1, 1996, and March 31, 1997 (N 25 256). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the adjusted relative risk (RR) of a repeat visit to an emergency department within 90 days of an initial emergency visit in patients who did or did not have an office follow-up within the first 30 days. RESULTS: There were 7829 patients (31%) who had an office visit during the 30 days after their initial emergency encounter. Follow-up visits were associated with a significant reduction i