Abstract
Identifying high frequency patients (HFPs) in the emergency department (ED) has been investigated worldwide, yet there is little research on the impact of social workers on the admission rate and length of stay in the ED for HFP. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of social workers in the emergency department on hospital admissions and lengths of stay in the ED of high frequency users. This exploratory study examines the difference between high frequency patient visits that had contact with a social worker with those that did not have contact with a social worker on admissions and lengths of stay in the ED. A retrospective study of electronic records for patients with 3 or more ED visits in a 6-month period between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2011 was analyzed. A comparison between the two groups was analyzed on the following measures, admissions and lengths of stay. The literature shows that the common characteristics of high frequency users are psychosocial in nature. As social workers are uniquely trained to examine the bio-psycho-social aspects of clients, understand the importance of utilizing a transdisciplinary team model, and are knowledgeable about community resources, exploring the role of social workers in the ED may be beneficial for patients and hospitals. This study explores high frequency patients’ utilization of the ED and may benefit future research by promoting inquiries into the cost benefits and patient benefits of employing social workers as part of a transdisciplinary team.