Return visits to the emergency department are frequently viewed as a quality indicator of patient management. The cause of revisits can be variable. This study attempted to assess the physicians view of return visit causes. Methods: during the study period, all return visits to the pediatric emergency department were reviewed by three physicians and the cause was assessed based on a known questionnaire. Results: during the study period there were 216 return visits (2.7% of admissions) of which 100 cases were eligible. 57% of revisits were assessed as being a progression of illness and another 20% due to insufficient patient education. Only 5% were assessed as revisits due to inappropriate management. There was a very low level of agreement between the assessing physicians (average kappa score 0.22). Conclusions: Return visits can be used to assess patient management. However, physicians view the causes differently depending on their role. The findings in this study were different than previously reported studies.
