Defining and Characterizing Visits To Emergency Departments For Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Retrospective Analysis Using Two Publicly Available Databases

Potentially avoidable emergency department visits for musculoskeletal conditions vary widely by algorithm, ranging from 7% to 36%, with fewer than 2% flagged by all three methods in the MIMIC-IV ED dataset.

• Why it matters: Different operational definitions for “potentially avoidable” ED use hinder accurate estimates and comparability across studies, especially when patient and visit characteristics depend on the identification rule.
• What they did: Using the publicly available Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV Emergency Department dataset, the study applied three algorithms: Diagnosis, Resources, and Triage Acuity, then compared proportions and visit characteristics.
• The result: The algorithm choice significantly changes both the proportion and characteristics of potentially avoidable visits, implying researchers must select definitions aligned to the specific visit types and patient groups of interest.

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