Trends in pelvic inflammatory disease emergency department visits, United States, 2006-2013

Nationally representative data indicate the percentage of emergency department visits with a pelvic inflammatory disease diagnosis decreased during 2006-2013 among females aged 15-44 years, primarily driven by decreased diagnoses of pelvic inflammatory disease among females aged 15-19 years and among women living in the southern United States. Despite declines, a large number of females of reproductive age are receiving care for pelvic inflammatory disease in emergency departments. Patients with lower median income and no or public health insurance status, which may decrease access to and use of health care services, consistently had the highest percentage of emergency department visits due to pelvic inflammatory disease. Future research should focus on obtaining a better understanding of factors influencing trends in pelvic inflammatory disease diagnoses and ways to address the challenges surrounding surveillance for this condition.