Predictors of emergency department visit disposition for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Study Objectives: The study objective was to validate among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical predictors of emergency department (ED) disposition (admission vs discharge) found in a previous study. We hypothesized that the initial heart rate (HR) at presentation and the number of nebulizer treatments would predict visit disposition adequately and that existing triage criteria would not.

Methods: In this correlational study, all ED visits to a university medical center related to a diagnosis of COPD over a 2-year period were identified and reviewed retrospectively (N = 114 patients and 226 visits).