Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Utilization by Persons with Psoriatic Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Greater accessibility to ambulatory services may mitigate emergency department (ED) presentations for lower acuity issues. This study examined ED utilization patterns for individuals with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a universal access healthcare setting.

Methods: Linked population-based administrative datasets in Alberta, Canada (fiscal years 2008-2017) were assessed for yearly ED visit frequency, timing, triage acuity, most responsible diagnoses, and disposition for persons with PsA and AS.

Results: A total of 4,984 individuals with PsA and 14,690 with AS had 53,174 and 124,037 unique ED encounters, respectively. On average, 47.6% of persons with PsA and 35.7% with AS accessed the ED annually. Low acuity encounters (triaged as less urgent or non-urgent) were common, comprising 44.2% and 50.3% of visits for PsA and AS cohorts, respectively. Infection and injury were the most common responsible diagnoses. Presentations for arthritis flares were infrequent (1.2% and 2.0% for PsA and AS cohorts, respectively) with no significant differences by sex or urbanicity. Rural patients had nearly twice the mean number of visits per year, had a higher frequency of less acute presentations, and were admitted less often in both disease cohorts. Sex differences included differential timing of presentation to EDs, and females with PsA had a lower frequency of admission relative to males.

Conclusion: ED use for less and non-urgent health concerns was frequent for persons with PsA and AS, particularly in rural settings. These data can inform tailored health service delivery including access solutions for persons residing in rural areas.