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2013 to 2022 Saw Increase in Influenza Testing at Hospital ED Visits

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 19, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2024 -- The use of influenza testing at hospital emergency department visits increased from 2013 to 2022 in the United States, according to a December data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Susan M. Schappert and Loredana Santo, M.D., M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, examined trends in the use of influenza testing at hospital emergency department visits during 2013 to 2022 using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

The researchers found that from 2013 to 2022, there was an increase in the percentage of annual emergency department visits with an influenza test ordered or provided, from 2.5 to 10.9 percent. The highest proportion of influenza tests ordered or provided in 2013 and 2022 was seen for emergency department visits by children ages 0 to 5 years (8.6 and 23.1 percent, respectively). The most frequent first-listed reasons for emergency department visits with an influenza test ordered or provided were fever and cough in both 2013 and 2022. For each geographic region of the United States, the percentages of emergency department visits with an influenza test ordered or provided increased between 2013 and 2022.

"Visits with a first-listed reason of nausea, shortness of breath, or psychological symptoms also had relatively high percentages of influenza testing in 2022; the percentages for nausea and shortness of breath were significantly higher than the corresponding percentages in 2013," the authors write.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted December 2024

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