Emergency Department Utilization

 

In 2013, the Libertas Center carried out a study on Emergency Department utilization among torture survivors. In the study we found that after intake at the Libertas Center, torture survivors 1) presented to the ED with more acute medical needs; 2) were admitted to the hospital from the ED more often; and 3) walked out of the ED before being seen by a provider less often, compared to before Libertas intake. These findings indicate that Libertas may increase clients’ knowledge about appropriate use of medical resources and increase access to non-emergent medical care.