Frequency and prognostic outcomes of emergency diagnosis in 13 non-neoplastic conditions in England: A population-based cohort study using linked electronic health records of 1.7 million patients.

Emergency diagnosis may be an important marker of diagnostic vulnerability in a wide range of conditions. This population-based English cohort study uses linked electronic health records from 1.7 million patients with 13 non-neoplastic conditions to examine occurrence and outcomes of such conditions. Emergency diagnoses were common across the explored conditions and associated with poorer subsequent outcomes compared to patients whose conditions were diagnosed in non-emergency encounters. The results highlight opportunities to address diagnostic delay, primary-care recognition, and health-system barriers as factors affecting diagnostic excellence.