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10-Year Trends of Emergency Department Visits, Wait Time, and Length of Stay among Adults with Mental Health and Substance use Disorders in the United States

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Abstract

This study examined if there was a change in the number of Emergency Department (ED) visits, wait time, and length of stay among adults with mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUD) in the United States from 2006 to 2015. From the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a total of 17,488 ED visits by adults with MHSUD were identified. Linear regression and negative binomial regression analyses were conducted to assess statistically significant changes in trends of ED visits, wait time, and length of stay. Results indicated that ED visits by adults with MHSUD increased by 30.6% from 2006 to 2015. Wait time of ED visits by adults with MHSUD decreased for the same time period; however, length of stay did not change. Also, there were some differences in trends of wait time and length of stay by diagnosis. Specifically, wait time of ED visits by adults with psychotic disorders did not decrease. Length of stay of ED visits by adults with anxiety disorders statistically significantly increased from 2006 to 2015. More effort is needed to improve the quality of ED care for adults with MHSUD. In such an effort, diagnoses should be taken into consideration.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank Ms. Katlin Morel, MSW, for her help with reviewing the manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by the University of Central Florida, School of Social Work, Center for Behavioral Health Research and Training, a seed grant program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Welfare, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-Ro, Yeonsu-Gu, Incheon, 22012, South Korea

    Eunji Nam & Hyemee Kim

  2. Department of Health Sciences, University of Central Florida, 4364 Scorpius Street, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Eunkyung Lee

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  1. Eunji Nam
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Contributions

E.N. conceptualized and designed the study, conducted the data analysis, drafted sections of the original manuscript, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. E.L. helped with the data analysis, reviewed and revised the manuscript. H.K. drafted sections of the original manuscript and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final article as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the study.

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Correspondence to Eunji Nam.

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Nam, E., Lee, E. & Kim, H. 10-Year Trends of Emergency Department Visits, Wait Time, and Length of Stay among Adults with Mental Health and Substance use Disorders in the United States. Psychiatr Q 92, 1159–1174 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-021-09894-y

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