To-Go medications for decreasing ED return visits.

Objectives: The primary objective was to determine if providing patients with a complete course of antibiotics for select conditions would decrease the rate of return to the emergency department (ED) within 7 days of the initial visit.

Methods: In an urban, academic medical center, we compared patients who received medications at discharge (To-Go medications) with patients who received standard care (a prescription at discharge). Emergency department patients were included if they were older than 18 years; had a discharge diagnosis International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code for urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, cellulitis, or dental infection; and presented initially between January and December 2010.