Emergency Department Visits due to Scabies in the United States: A Retrospective Analysis of a Nationally Representative Emergency Department Sample.

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists regarding the burden of emergency department (ED) visits due to scabies in the United States (US). The goal of this study was to provide population-level estimates regarding scabies visits to American EDs.

METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis of the nationally representative National Emergency Department Sample from 2013-2015. Outcomes included adjusted odds for scabies ED visits, adjusted odds for inpatient admission due to scabies in the ED scabies population, predictors for cost of care, and seasonal/regional variation in cost and prevalence of scabies ED visits.

RESULTS: Our patient population included 416,017,218 ED visits from 2013-2015, of which 356,267 were due to scabies (prevalence = 85.7 per 100,000 ED visits). The average annual expenditure for scabies ED visits was $67,125,780.36. The average cost of care for a scabies ED visit was $750.91 (±17.41). Patients visiting the ED for scabies were most likely to be male children from lower income quartiles, and were most likely to present to the ED on weekdays in the Fall controlling for all other factors. Scabies ED patients that were male, older, insured by Medicare, from the highest income quartile, and from the Midwest/West were most likely to be admitted as inpatients. Older, higher income, Medicare patients in large Northeastern metropolitan cities had the greatest cost of care.

CONCLUSION: This study provides comprehensive nationally representative estimates of the burden of scabies ED visits on the American healthcare system. These findings are important for developing targeted interventions to decrease the incidence and burden of scabies in American EDs.