Inappropriate use of hospital emergency departments

Marks, Michael K; Steinfort, Daniel; Barnett, Peter LJ

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05142.x

Topics

To the Editor: Both adult and paediatric hospital emergency departments (EDs) are subject to inappropriate use.1,2,3 Some families use the ED as a primary care provider,4,5 often claiming that they have no regular general practitioner.6 Such families may experience poorer overall health.7,8 We hypothesised that providing such families with information about GPs in their area and emphasising the benefits of having a GP responsible for their long term healthcare might:

Correspondence:

1. Keith AR, Pirkis JE, Viney RC, et al. Delivery of primary care in hospital and community settings in Australia. Qual Assur Health Care 1993; 5: 131-141.
2. Weir R, Rideout E, Crook J. Pediatric use of emergency departments. J Pediatr Health Care 1989; 3: 204-210.
3. Davies T. Accident department or general practice? BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 1986; 292: 241-243.
4. Kini NM, Strait RT. Nonurgent use of the pediatric emergency department during the day. Pediatr Emerg Care 1998; 14: 19-21.
5. Smith RD, McNamara JJ. Why not your pediatrician's office? A study of weekday pediatric emergency department use for minor illness care in a community hospital. Pediatr Emerg Care 1988; 4: 107-111.
6. Shesser R, Kirsch T, Smith J, Hirsch R. An analysis of emergency department use by patients with minor illness. Ann Emerg Med 1991; 20: 743-748.
7. Lambrew JM, DeFriese GH, Carey TS, et al. The effects of having a regular doctor on access to primary care. Med Care 1996; 34: 138-151.
8. Baker DW, Stevens CD, Brook RH. Regular source of ambulatory care and medical utilization by patients presenting to a public hospital emergency department. JAMA 1994; 271(24): 1909-1912.

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