Emergency Department Utilization of Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined emergency department (ED) utilization by adolescents and young adults, 12-30 years of age (AYA) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using the 2016 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project/National Emergency Department Sample (HCUP/NEDS). We investigated the principal reason for an ED visit, presence of an ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC), and likelihood of hospital admission following ED encounter in ASD and Non-ASD cohorts. The ASD cohort had a higher proportion of ED visits for ACSC diagnoses as compared to the Non-ASD cohort. In addition, the likelihood of admission following an ED visit in the ASD cohort was 3.7 times greater than in the Non-ASD cohort.

Automated summary

This study found that adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) for ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC) diagnoses, and were also more likely to be admitted to the hospital following an ED visit compared to those without ASD.