UMEM Educational Pearls

This single center prospective study asked residents to determine if their patient had barriers to post ED discharge health care such as having a PCP, transportation issues, affording medications, and need for assistance with activities of daily living. They then compared the physicians’ answers to patient’s answers and found: “Physicians had poor sensitivity for accurate identification of patient barriers.”  
Some of our discharged patients are struggling more than we realize.

References

cademic Emergency MedicineVolume 33, Issue 5 e70320

Overlooking Barriers to Safe and Effective Emergency Department Discharge

Thomas K. HagermanFabrice I. MowbrayTiara LangMaryam NourJo-Ann K. RammalSamantha OdeeshoSeraj FarhatHoward KlausnerMansoor SiddiquiJoseph Miller

First published: 06 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.70320