Annals of emergency medicine
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We sought to determine the follow-up rate of discharged emergency department patients who were instructed to obtain reevaluation within 48 hours at our ED, a clinic, or a private physician's office and to determine the reasons why patients do not obtain short-term follow-up when instructed. ⋯ Many patients discharged from the ED who were believed to be at risk for clinical deterioration did not obtain medical follow-up within 48 hours when so instructed. Free ED follow-up resulted in a better rate of short-term follow-up than that for clinics and private physicians and may be especially useful if a patient's ability to obtain follow-up is uncertain or if timely reevaluation is particularly imperative.