Improving Gout Care After an Emergency Department Visit for Acute Gout

The prevalence of gout has been steadily increasing and is correlated with the rising burden of obesity, chronic cardiac and renal disease; all conditions overrepresented in the Southeast U.S. - particularly in African Americans. Many patients with acute gout receive care at the emergency department (ED), particularly underserved urban populations in the Deep South. Appropriate outpatient follow-up for an acute flare after an ED visit is variable. Indeed, in a preliminary analysis of a retrospective cohort study of patients with acute gout treated at our urban medical center ED, only 46% of patients followed up with an outpatient clinician in our healthcare system within 6 months of their ED visit. Even fewer (36%) had an outpatient visit specifically addressing gout care within 6 months post-ED visit. This population of patients that seek acute gout care in the ED represent an important group that may benefit from interventions focused on improving gout quality of care, such as promoting outpatient follow-up.

While having a mechanism to identity acute gout patients in the ED is fundamental for enhancing care for patients with acute gout, recruiting people with acute gout who receive care in the ED outside regular business hours is challenging. One potential solution involves approaching patients after their ED visits remotely using patient navigators. The 36-72 hour period after their ED visit represents a critical time during which patients may be more receptive to efforts focused on improving healthy behaviors including scheduling outpatient follow-up (i.e., a "teachable moment). Patient navigators are trained, lay individuals of similar cultural background, and region, who provide personal guidance to patients and engage "hard-to-reach" groups, reduce access barriers, and encourage healthy behaviors such as engaging in outpatient chronic disease management.