Emergency department care and hospitalization as predictors of disability.

Duration of complete and partial disability for work, school, and home activities and activities of daily living during the first 18 months after injury were compared for 2,043 emergency department (ED) patients and 151 hospitalized patients from 22 northwestern Vermont communities who received their initial medical care for injury at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont and were subsequently interviewed. Larger proportions of hospitalized patients than ED patients had any disability or prolonged disability. During almost all time frames, and even among patients who still had ongoing disability at 18 months, the majority of persons with disability had required ED treatment only. These data suggest that, based on disability, ED patients should not necessarily be considered to have merely minor injuries.