Factors Associated with Family Physician Follow-up 30 Days Post-discharge from a Local Canadian Community Emergency Department.

Introduction Close outpatient follow-up with a specialist or family physician post-discharge from the emergency department (ED) has been shown to increase adherence to antihypertensive medications, decrease mortality in heart failure, and reduce the odds of myocardial infarction or death after ED presentation for chest pain. A Canadian study demonstrated that 21% of patients who left the ED with a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, or hypertension were not seen by a physician within 30 days. There is a paucity of research investigating why this follow-up does not occur.