Emergency department physicians vary widely in their likelihood of hospitalizing a patient, study finds

Medical Xpress December 23, 2024
University of California, Los Angeles

Patients in emergency departments who are treated by physicians with a high propensity to admit those they see into the hospital are more likely to be discharged after only a short stay, suggesting a possible unnecessary admission, while they are no less likely to die, new research suggests.

The findings suggest that differences in physicians’ skill or risk aversion may come into play when they make admitting decisions, said Dr. Dan Ly, assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“Physicians, just like professionals in other domains, differ in their abilities and decisions, which has consequences for how much care you might receive, including,...

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