Public use and perceptions of emergency departments: A population survey

Potential role of general practice in reducing emergency department demand: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To inform local, state and national strategies intended to reduce demand for ED care, the present study aimed to identify key factors influencing the current provision of acute care within primary healthcare (PHC) and explore the policy and system changes potentially required.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed through content and thematic approaches incorporating the Walt and Gilson health policy framework.

RESULTS

Eleven interviews were conducted. Five key considerations were highlighted, namely the barriers and enablers for general practitioners (GPs) in providing acute care, barriers to patient use of PHC instead of ED, suggestions for new PHC models and improvements for current ED models. Additionally, economic issues relating to clinic funding and GP remuneration, complexities of state or federal funding and management of urgent care centres (UCC) were identified. Potential policy changes included GP clinics incorporating emergency appointments, GP triage, further patient streaming and changes to the ED medical workforce model, as well as linking hospitals with PHC clinics. Suggested system changes included improving rapid access to non-GP specialists, offering qualifications for urgent care within PHC, developing integrated information technology systems and educating patients regarding appropriate healthcare system pathways.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggested that while PHC has the potential to attenuate the demands for ED services, a whole-of-system approach focusing on realignment of priorities and integrated changes are needed.

Tendency to call an ambulance or attend an emergency department for minor or non-urgent problems: a vignette-based population survey in Britain

BACKGROUND

There are concerns about high levels of demand for emergency health services. The aim was to identify the characteristics of the British population with a tendency to contact emergency medical services and EDs for minor or non-urgent problems.

METHODS

A survey of the British adult population in 2018. Six vignettes were constructed about illness in adults (cough/sore throat or diarrhoea/vomiting), injury in adults (sore rib or back pain) and fever in children (occurring weekday or weekend).

RESULTS

The response rate was 42%, with 2906 respondents. 11% (319/2716) of respondents selected to contact an ambulance and 43% ED, mainly for the vignettes about fever in children and sore rib. Males, people from ethnic minority communities and older people had a tendency to contact emergency services for minor problems. Tendency to call an ambulance was also characterised by 'low resources' (manual or unskilled occupations, no car, low health literacy), worry that a symptom might be serious, distress (feeling overwhelmed by health problems) and frequent use of EDs. For EDs, there was an attraction to EDs because of availability of tests.

CONCLUSION

Whereas use of emergency ambulances for minor or non-urgent problems appeared to be driven by people's lack of resources, including lack of transport, use of EDs appeared to be driven by their attractive characteristic of offering tests quickly.

Exploring the measure of potentially avoidable general practitioner-type presentations to the emergency department in regional Queensland using linked, patient-perspective data

Objective To explore measures of potentially avoidable general practitioner (PAGP)-type presentations to the emergency department (ED) of a large regional hospital in northern Queensland. Methods Linkage of an ED administrative dataset to a face-to-face patient survey of local residents (n=1000); calculation of Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) measures of PAGP-type presentations to the ED; and exploration of these measures with patient-perspective linked data. Results PAGP-type presenters to the ED were younger in age (median age in years: total cohort: 49; AIHW 38, P<0.001; ACEM 36, P<0.001); with the odds of having a chronic condition being less likely for AIHW PAGP-type presenters than other ED presenters (OR (95% CI) 0.54 (0.38-0.77): P=0.001)) after adjustment for age. PAGP-type presenters nominated reasons of convenience rather than urgency as their rationale for attending the ED, irrespective of measure. The number of PAGP-type presentations to the ED identified by the AIHW measure was more than three-fold higher than the ACEM measure (AIHW: n=227; ACEM: n=67). Influencing factors include the low proportion of ED attendees who had a medical consultation time of <1h at this hospital site (1-month survey period: 17.8%); and differences between the patient self-report and ED administrative record for 'self-referral to the ED' (Self-referred: Survey 71% vs EDIS 93%, P<0.001). Conclusions Identification of PAGP-type presentations to the ED could be enhanced with improvements to the quality of administrative processes when recording patient 'self-referral to the ED', along with further consideration of hospital site variation for the length of medical consultation time. What is known about the topic? PAGP-type presentations to the ED are an Australian National Healthcare Agreement progress indicator. Methods of measuring this indicator have been under review since 2012 and debate remains on how to accurately determine the measure. What does this paper add? By using patient perspective-linked data to explore different measures of PAGP-type presentations to EDs, this paper identifies issues with measure elements and suggests ways to improve these measures. What are the implications for practitioners? Measure elements of patient 'self-referral to the ED' and 'medical consultation time' require further consideration if they are to be used to measure PAGP-type presentations to the ED.

Drivers of ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of emergency and urgent care: the DEUCE mixed-methods study

Background

There is widespread concern about the pressure on emergency and urgent services in the UK, particularly emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments. A mismatch between supply and demand has led to interest in what can be termed ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of services. This is defined by the research team in this study as ‘patients attending services with problems that are classified as suitable for treatment by a lower urgency service or self-care’. This is a challenging issue to consider because patients may face difficulties when deciding the best action to take, and different staff may make different judgements about what constitutes a legitimate reason for service use.

Objectives

To identify the drivers of ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments from patient and population perspectives.

Design

This was a sequential mixed-methods study with three components: a realist review; qualitative interviews (n = 48) and focus groups (n = 3) with patients considered ‘clinically unnecessary’ users of these services, focusing on parents of young children, young adults and people in areas of social deprivation; and a population survey (n = 2906) to explore attitudes towards seeking care for unexpected, non-life-threatening health problems and to identify the characteristics of someone with a tendency for ‘clinically unnecessary’ help-seeking.

Results

From the results of the three study components, we found that multiple, interacting drivers influenced individuals’ decision-making. Drivers could be grouped into symptom related, patient related and health service related. Symptom-related drivers were anxiety or need for reassurance, which were caused by uncertainty about the meaning or seriousness of symptoms; concern about the impact of symptoms on daily activities/functioning; and a need for immediate relief of intolerable symptoms, particularly pain. Patient-related drivers were reduced coping capacity as a result of illness, stress or limited resources; fear of consequences when responsible for another person’s health, particularly a child; and the influence of social networks. Health service-related drivers were perceptions or previous experiences of services, particularly the attractions of emergency departments; a lack of timely access to an appropriate general practitioner appointment; and compliance with health service staff’s advice.

Limitations

Difficulty recruiting patients who had used the ambulance service to the interviews and focus groups meant that we were not able to add as much as we had anticipated to the limited evidence base regarding this service.

Conclusions

Patients use emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments when they may not need the level of clinical care provided by these services for a multitude of inter-related reasons that sometimes differ by population subgroup. Some of these reasons relate to health services, in terms of difficulty accessing general practice leading to use of emergency departments, and to population-learnt behaviour concerning the positive attributes of emergency departments, rather than to patient characteristics. Social circumstances, such as complex and stressful lives, influence help-seeking for all three services. Demand may be ‘clinically unnecessary’ but completely understandable when service accessibility and patients’ social circumstances are considered.

Future work

There is a need to evaluate interventions, including changing service configuration, strengthening general practice and addressing the stressors that have an impact on people’s coping capacity. Different subgroups may require different interventions.

Study registration

This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017056273.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Socio-demographic and disease related characteristics associated with unplanned emergency department visits by cancer patients: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Emergency department (ED) presentations made by patients having cancer treatment are associated with worth outcomes. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic and disease related characteristics associated with ED presentation, frequent ED presentations, and place of discharge for cancer patients receiving systemic cancer therapies in the ambulatory setting.

Methods

This was a single site, retrospective observational cohort design. Hospital data for patients treated in the Day Oncology Unit of a large public tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia between December 2014 and November 2017 were extracted from clinical databases and retrospectively matched to ED attendance records. Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Service Utilisation provided the conceptual framework for exploring associations between socio-demographic and disease characteristics and ED use.

Results

A total of 2638 individuals were treated in the Day Oncology Unit over the study dates. Of these, 1182 (45%) made an unplanned ED presentation within 28 days of receiving systemic cancer therapy. One hundred and twenty-two (12%) patients attended the ED on two or more occasions within 28 days; while 112 (10%) patients attended the ED four or more times (within 28 days of receiving systemic cancer therapy) within any given 12 month period. Being born outside of Australia was independently related to making an unplanned ED presentation within 28 days of receiving anti-cancer therapy (p < .01) as was being diagnosed with head and neck (p = .03), upper gastrointestinal (p < .001), colorectal (p < .001), lung (p < .001), skin (p < .001) or breast cancer (p = .01).

Conclusions

This study identified a subgroup of cancer patients for whom an ED presentation is more likely. Better understanding of socio-demographic and disease related characteristics associated with the risk of an ED presentation may help inform targeted follow up of patients, to mitigate potentially avoidable ED presentation and optimize outcomes of care.

Perceptions and experiences of emergency department staff during the implementation of the four-hour rule/national emergency access target policy in Australia: a qualitative social dynamic perspective

Background

The Four-Hour Rule or National Emergency Access Target policy (4HR/NEAT) was implemented by Australian State and Federal Governments between 2009 and 2014 to address increased demand, overcrowding and access block (boarding) in Emergency Departments (EDs). This qualitative study aimed to assess the impact of 4HR/NEAT on ED staff attitudes and perceptions. This article is part of a series of manuscripts reporting the results of this project.

Methods

The methodology has been published in this journal. As discussed in the methods paper, we interviewed 119 participants from 16 EDs across New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Western Australia (WA) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), in 2015–2016. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, imported to NVivo 11 and analysed using content and thematic analysis.

Results

Three key themes emerged: Stress and morale, Intergroup dynamics, and Interaction with patients. These provided insight into the psycho-social dimensions and organisational structure of EDs at the individual, peer-to-peer, inter-departmental, and staff-patient levels.

Conclusion

Findings provide information on the social interactions associated with the introduction of the 4HR/NEAT policy and the intended and unintended consequences of its implementation across Australia. These themes allowed us to develop several hypotheses about the driving forces behind the social impact of this policy on ED staff and will allow for development of interventions that are rooted in the rich context of the staff’s experiences.

How much emergency department use by vulnerable populations is potentially preventable?: A period prevalence study of linked public hospital data in South Australia

OBJECTIVES

To quantify emergency department (ED) presentations by individuals within vulnerable populations compared with other adults and the extent to which these are potentially preventable.

DESIGN

Period prevalence study from 2005-2006 to 2010-2011.

SETTING

Person-linked, ED administrative records for public hospitals in South Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged 20 or more in South Australia's metropolitan area presenting to ED and categorised as Refugee and Asylum Seeker Countries of birth (RASC); Aboriginal; those aged 75 years or more; or All others.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Unadjusted rates of ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC), general practitioner (GP)-type presentations and associated direct ED costs among mutually exclusive groups of individuals.

RESULTS

Disparity between RASC and All others was greatest for GP-type presentations (423.7 and 240.1 persons per 1000 population, respectively) with excess costs of $A106 573 (95% CI $A98 775 to $A114 371) per 1000 population. Aboriginal had highest acute ACSC presenter rates (125.8 against 51.6 per 1000 population) with twice the risk of multiple presentations and $A108 701 (95% CI $A374 to $A123 029) per 1000 excess costs. Those aged 75 or more had highest chronic ACSC presenter rates (119.7vs21.1 per 1000), threefold risk of further presentations (incidence rate ratio 3.20, 95% CI 3.14 to 3.26) and excess cost of $A385 (95% CI $A178 160 to $A184 609) per 1000 population.

CONCLUSIONS

Vulnerable groups had excess ED presentations for a range of issues potentially better addressed through primary and community healthcare. The observed differences suggest inequities in the uptake of effective primary and community care and represent a source of excess cost to the public hospital system.

Patients' choice between public and private hospital emergency departments: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to understand what factors influence patients' choice between public and private hospital ED and the relative weight of those factors among adult patients with private health insurance in Australia.

METHODS

A survey of 280 patients was conducted in four public and private hospitals' EDs in Brisbane between May and August 2015. The survey included information about respondent's demographics, nature of illness, decision-making, attitudes and choice. Independent t-test and Pearson's χ²-test were used to identify binary associations, and logistic regression was used to determine what factors influence patients' choice.

RESULTS

Patients who agreed that 'long waiting time is a barrier to access public hospital ED' were twice as likely to choose private hospitals (odds ratio [OR] 2.172, P = 0.001). Alternatively patients who did not consider that 'there were long waiting times in public hospital ED' were less likely to access private hospitals (OR 0.200, P = 0.003). More public hospital patients (70.7%) than private hospital patients (56.4%) (P = 0.015) agreed that 'out-of-pocket payment is a barrier to accessing private hospital ED'. Patients attending private hospitals rated the quality of service higher than those attending public hospitals (OR 1.26, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Longer waiting times in public EDs is the principal issue considered by patients choosing private EDs and the out-of-pocket payment for accessing private EDs is the principal issue considered by public ED patients. The study suggests that addressing the out-of-pocket payments will attract more patients with private health insurance to access private EDs.

Health Care Services in IBD: Factors Associated with Service Utilization and Preferences for Service Options for Routine and Urgent Care

BACKGROUND

We aimed to explore factors associated with health service utilization and preference for services, including alternatives to attending the emergency department (ED) when experiencing mild to moderate or severe symptoms.

METHODS

A total of 1143 persons (46% response rate) aged 18 to 65 years in the population-based University of Manitoba IBD Research Registry participated in the survey.

RESULTS

Although 61% had a gastroenterologist, when experiencing active symptoms, only 29% felt they could call their gastroenterologist for an urgent appointment, and 42% could call their gastroenterologist for telephone advice. Nine percent of the respondents visited the ED in the previous year. If having severe symptoms, 48% said that they would attend the ED. Visits to the ED were related to higher bowel symptom severity and high health anxiety. When experiencing severe symptoms, women, persons with Crohn's disease and those with high health anxiety, indicated that they would be more likely to use the ED. Considering services which could be available in the future respondents indicated that if acutely symptomatic they would be very likely or likely to use the following services: phone contact with inflammatory bowel disease nurse (77%), phone contact with a gastroenterologist (75%), and going to a walk-in gastroenterology clinic (71%).

CONCLUSIONS

Persons with inflammatory bowel disease are receptive to options other than the ED when experiencing inflammatory bowel disease symptoms; however, attending the ED remains a prominent choice. Improved access to specialized care may improve timeliness of care and reduce ED attendance. Future research should include the impact of health anxiety on health care utilization.

Patterns of low acuity patient presentations to emergency departments in New South Wales, Australia

OBJECTIVE

To explore the patterns of low acuity patient (LAP) presentations to EDs in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

METHODS

Retrospective study of NSW public hospital ED presentations between January 2013 and December 2014 that were registered in the NSW Emergency Department Data Collection (n = 409 035). LAPs were defined according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Sprivulis and multiple ACEM methods. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the adjusted odds of LAP ED presentation by a suite of sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

The percentage of LAPs varied considerably by definition, being as high as 54.7% (inner regional areas) and as low as 3.2% (major cities) using revised ACEM methods modified to contain unlimited consultation times or consultation times of 15 min or less, respectively. For each method, higher proportions of LAPs were observed in inner regional and remote/very remote areas relative to major cities. LAP ED presentations, based on ACEM definition with 1 h or 15 min consultation times, were greater in younger patients, increased during out of business hours and weekends, and decreased with increasing general practitioner (GP) density.

CONCLUSION

The percentage of LAPs varied substantially by definition, and further work is required to validate the methods, particularly around the appropriateness of length of consultation time with ACEM, between different hospitals and remoteness areas. Age was strongly associated with low acuity, with substantial effects also observed for GP density, and attendances during out of hours and weekends.

Engaging the public in healthcare decision-making: results from a Citizens' Jury on emergency care services

BACKGROUND

Policies addressing ED crowding have failed to incorporate the public's perspectives; engaging the public in such policies is needed.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at determining the public's recommendations related to alternative models of care intended to reduce crowding, optimising access to and provision of emergency care.

METHODS

A Citizens' Jury was convened in Queensland, Australia, to consider priority setting and resource allocation to address ED crowding. Twenty-two jurors were recruited from the electoral roll, who were interested and available to attend the jury from 15 to 17 June 2012. Juror feedback was collected via a survey immediately following the end of the jury.

RESULTS

The jury considered that all patients attending the ED should be assessed with a minority of cases diverted for assistance elsewhere. Jurors strongly supported enabling ambulance staff to treat patients in their homes without transporting them to the ED, and allowing non-medical staff to treat some patients without seeing a doctor. Jurors supported (in principle) patient choice over aspects of their treatment (when, where and type of health professional) with some support for patients paying towards treatment but unanimous opposition for patients paying to be prioritised. Most of the jurors were satisfied with their experience of the Citizens' Jury process, but some jurors perceived the time allocated for deliberations as insufficient.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the general public may be open to flexible models of emergency care. The jury provided clear recommendations for direct public input to guide health policy to tackle ED crowding.

Statewide retrospective study of low acuity emergency presentations in New South Wales, Australia: who, what, where and why?

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims to use a statewide population-based registry to assess the prevalence of low acuity emergency department (ED) presentations, describe the trend in presentation rates and to determine whether they were associated with various presentation characteristics such as the type of hospital as well as clinical and demographic variables.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This was a retrospective analysis of a population-based registry of ED presentations in New South Wales (NSW). Generalised estimating equations with log links were used to determine factors associated with low acuity presentations to account for repeat presentations and the possibility of clustering of outcomes.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients were included in this analysis if they presented to an ED between January 2010 and December 2014. The outcomes of interest were low acuity presentation, defined as those who self-presented (were not transported by ambulance), were assigned a triage category of 4 or 5 (semiurgent or non-urgent) and discharged back to usual residence from ED.

RESULTS

There were 10.7 million ED presentations analysed. Of these, 45% were classified as a low acuity presentation. There was no discernible increase in the rate of low acuity presentations across NSW between 2010 and 2014. The strongest predictors of low acuity ED presentation were age <40 years of age (OR 1.77); injury or musculoskeletal administrative and non-urgent procedures (OR 2.96); ear, nose and throat, eye or oral (OR 5.53); skin or allergy-type presenting problems (OR 2.84).

CONCLUSIONS

Low acuity ED presentations comprise almost half of all ED presentations. Alternative emergency models of care may help meet the needs of these patients.