Prevalence and Characteristics of Emergency Department Visits by Pregnant People: An Analysis of a National Emergency Department Sample (2010–2020)

Abstract

Introduction: The number and characteristics of pregnant patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) has not been well described. Our objective in this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pregnant patients presenting to EDs in the US between 2010–2020. Methods: We completed a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patient encounters at hospital-based EDs in the US from 2010–2020. Using the ED subsample of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) we identified ED visits for female patients aged 15–44 years. We defined a subsample of these as visits for pregnant patients using discharge diagnosis codes specific to pregnancy. We compared this population of pregnant patient visits to those for non-pregnant patients and computed point estimates for nationally weighted values. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine factors independently associated with pregnant patient visits. Results: The 2010–2020 NHAMCS dataset included 255,963 ED visits. Of these visits 59,080 were for female patients 15–44 years old, and 6,068 of those visits were for pregnant patients. Pregnant patients accounted for 3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7–3.2) of all ED visits and 8.6% (95% CI 8–9.3) of all visits among female patients 15–44 years. Weighting to a national sample, this equates to 2.77 million pregnant patients presenting for ED visits annually. Pregnant patients were more likely to be Black, Hispanic, or to use public insurance. Conclusion: Pregnant patients make up a significant number of ED visits annually and are more likely to be people of color or publicly insured. Interventions to address the effects of changing abortion legislation on emergency medicine practice may benefit from consideration that certain populations of pregnant people are more likely to present to the ED for care.