• Justin B Weiner, J Tobias Nagurney, David F M Brown, Swati Sane, and Andrew C Wang.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
• Fam Pract. 2004 Jun 1; 21 (3): 314-6.

BackgroundLittle is known about the duration of symptoms and follow-up patterns of patients seen in emergency departments for abdominal or flank pain.ObjectiveWe aimed to measure the duration of symptoms and follow-up rate of patients discharged home from the emergency department after presenting with non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain.MethodsWe conducted a single-centre, prospective descriptive study of adult patients who presented to our emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain and were discharged from the emergency department. We gathered clinical data during the index emergency department visit and conducted telephone interviews of subjects 2-5 weeks later.ResultsWe reached 63 of 90 subjects (70%). The median duration of pain was 3 days after the emergency department visit. During the follow-up period, only 41% had followed-up with their family physician or primary care provider, although an additional 21% had planned to. Persistence of symptoms was common in the 37% of subjects who did not follow-up.ConclusionOf subjects discharged from the emergency department after visits for non-traumatic abdominal or flank pain, most improve within several days. Fewer than half follow-up with a family practitioner or a primary care provider. Emergency department revisits are uncommon and often for unrelated problems.

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