Emergency Department (ED) Visit Calculator





















This is a tool to help you understand the risk of having to visit the emergency department (ED) and ED related hospitalization in the next 12 months among people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

This tool is based on our cross-sectional study of 4670 people with SCI. Since those with SCI have a higher rate of ED visits and hospitalizations, our purpose was to identify the various predictors of ED visits and hospitalizations among individuals with SCI. This calculator shows the probability of having at least one ED visit and ED related hospitalization in a 12-month time frame. This is based on identifying how other people with SCI who have answered the same basic questions. Because the data were collected at a single point in time, we cannot determine cause and effect.

The estimates are based on our research give a general idea of risk and what places people with SCI at risk for ED visits. They will help people see how likely, they are on average, to have an ED visit and ED related hospitalization based on number of factors, including health behaviors, demographics, and injury level. Because findings vary from study to study, the estimates are only to give a general idea of an individual’s risk compared to that of others with similar characteristics. It also will help people to see how they can reduce their risk of ED visits.

Our Emergency Department Calculator used the following factors:
1. Sex (Male, Female)
2. Current age
3. Years post-injury
4. Walking status
5. SCI neurological level
6. Race/ethnicity, we use a combination of race-ethnicity and because of limitations in our data, it is analyzed in three groups: non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Other, which includes Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, Alaskan Native. We use the “other” category because there were not enough participants in any group, other than non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black, to form individual categories.
7. Household income
8. Weight status
9. Diet
10. Alcohol misuse
11. Non-medical substance misuse
12. Frequency of prescription medication usage
13. Prescription medication misuse
14. Cigarette smoking
15. Exercise

Source of data: A description of the data upon which the calculators are based are reported in a study of emergency department visits (Cao, DiPiro, & Krause, under review)

Calculator limitations:
There are factors that relate to risk of ED visits and ED related hospitalizations that are not accounted for within this formula. We are unable to include other factors because we have used findings from a single study.

DISCLAIMER: Your risk of an ED visit or ED related hospitalization may relate to your health condition or your medications you are taking to treat the condition. Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider before making any changes to your use of medications.

This calculator is only intended to be one tool to help you understand how certain factors relate to ED visits and ED related hospitalizations. You should NEVER base healthcare or other important decisions solely on individualized calculators or other types of printed or online materials. You should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns regarding your health.

Reference:
Cao, Y., DiPiro, N.D., & Krause, J.S. (under review). Emergency department visits and related hospitalizations after traumatic spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord.