Characteristics of Non-Emergent Visits in Emergency Departments: Profiles and Longitudinal Pattern Changes in Taiwan, 2000-2010.

An increasing number of emergency department (ED) visits have posed a challenge to health systems in many countries, but an understanding of non-emergent ED visits has remained limited and contentious. This retrospective study analyzed ED visits using three representative cohorts from routine data to explore the profiles and longitudinal pattern changes of non-emergent ED visits in Taiwan. Systematic-, personal-, and ED visit-level data were analyzed using a logistic regression model.

Tetanus Vaccination and Extra-Immunization among Adult Populations: Eight-Year Follow Up Cohort Study of 771,443 Adults in Taiwan, 2006⁻2013.

Under-and extra-immunization of tetanus boosters are important issues to consider in reducing the burden of vaccine-preventable disease in adults. The present study aimed to analyze the trend of vaccination coverage (VC) and risk factors associated with extra-immunization of tetanus during an 8-year period using a national-scale cohort database. Taiwan's one-million representative research database, the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID2005) was used.

Serious dysphagia following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: long-term incidence in a national cohort.

Background: Although dysphagia is often self-limiting after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), its incidence, risks, and long-term outcomes remain unclear. The present study aimed to analyze dysphagia up to 5 years post-ACDF using a nation-scaled cohort.

Methods: Incidences of permanent dysphagia requiring nasogastric-tube feeding after ACDF were analyzed using three million-sample cohorts derived from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan.

Increased Risk of Stroke in Patients of Concussion: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Long-term morbidities can develop after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Some studies have suggested that the risk of stroke is higher after TBI, but the association between concussion and stroke remains unclear. Using a national cohort, the authors analyzed the incidence of both hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes in patients with previous concussion.

Lower Risk of Stroke after Deformity Surgery: Long Term Benefit Demonstrated by a National Cohort Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the long-term risk of stroke in adult patients with spinal deformity. Specifically, the study addressed the possible protective effect of surgery for spinal deformity against stroke.

Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), a monopolistic national database in Taiwan, this retrospective cohort study analyzed the incidence of stroke in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) in a 11-year period.