Discharge Education Linked to Fewer ED Returns

TOPLINEPatients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) who received prepopulated educational handouts at discharge had lower rates of unplanned return visits (URVs) to the emergency department (ED); Hispanic individuals had more than twice the odds of returning.METHODOLOGYResearchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 733 patients who presented with mTBI to a suburban academic ED between 2022 and 2024 (mean age, 41 years; 56.9% female individuals; 64.9% White individuals; 79.3% non-Hispanic or Latino individuals).The primary outcome was a URV to the ED related to the index injury within 8 weeks of the initial visit.Researchers evaluated associations between URVs and patient demographics, injury mechanisms, clinical workflow factors (imaging and the type of primary clinician providing care), discharge instructions (educational handouts and personalized instructions), and follow-up referrals.TAKEAWAYWithin 8 weeks of the initial visit, 10.9% of patients had a URV to the ED related to their index injury.Patients who received educational handouts had a lower URV rate than those who did not (9.3% vs 15.8%; P = .016); after adjustment for ethnicity and mechanism of injury, handout receipt remained associated with lower odds of a URV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.59; P = .048).Hispanic patients had higher odds of a URV than non-Hispanic patients (aOR, 2.69; P < .001), while falls were associated with higher odds of a URV than sports-related injuries (aOR, 3.37; P = .025).The rates of URVs did not differ based on head imaging, follow-up referral, or practitioner level. Patients with falls, motor vehicle collisions, or unintended contact with an object or another person were less likely to receive educational handouts than those with sports-related injuries.IN PRACTICE"In conclusion, this study identifies several potentially modifiable factors associated with URV to the ED following concussion or head injury," the authors wrote."The findings suggest that the inclusion of standardized, pre-populated educational handouts at discharge and consideration of injury mechanisms, particularly non-sports-related mTBI, may play a role in reducing return visits," they added. SOURCEThe study was led by David P. Patrick, University of Connecticut Emergency Medicine Residency, Farmington, Connecticut. It was published online on September 4, 2026, in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.LIMITATIONSThe retrospective design limited causal inference and carried risks for selection bias and data inaccuracy. The study relied on diagnostic codes for patient identification, potentially missing eligible patients, and could not capture verbal education or conversations that were not documented in the medical record. As the study was conducted at a single suburban academic hospital, findings were not generalizable to other ED settings, and follow-up with healthcare providers outside the hospital system was not assessed. The researchers also did not assess whether instructions were provided in each patient's primary language or whether an interpreter was used, which may have affected the differences in URV rates observed between ethnic groups.DISCLOSURESThe study received internal funding from the UConn School of Medicine Summer Research program. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.