Predictors of Emergency Room Admission in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis: A Prospective, Descriptive Study.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the predictors of emergency room (ER) admission in patients with liver cirrhosis. The data of 215 patients with liver cirrhosis who visited the ER were collected from January 1 to March 15, 2017, at Yeungnam hospital in Daegu city, South Korea. Measurement scales were designed on the basis of the liver function test and evaluation of anxiety and depression, self-care, and family support. Diseases that cause liver cirrhosis, their associated characteristics, and respective hematologic examination results were reviewed from the hospital's electronic medical records. Among the 215 patients with liver cirrhosis who visited the ER, 47 (21.9%) had previous ER admissions, whereas 168 (78.1%) had none. Fifteen predictive factors that were significantly different between the ER admission and non-ER admission groups were included as variables in logistic regression analysis. This analysis revealed that the 3 significant predictors of ER admission in patients with liver cirrhosis were number of prior complications, serum bilirubin level, and self-care compliance. An increased number of prior complications, increased bilirubin level, and low self-care compliance increased the ER admission rates in patients with liver cirrhosis. Thus, further studies are necessary to measure the effects of nursing intervention strategies based on these findings.