To ED or not to ED: a phone call will not answer

Bolton, Patrick G M; Golding, Michael H G

doi:10.5694/mja12.11329

Topics

Telephone advice lines direct resources to improved access without improving the delivery of tangible services

The demands placed on the health system are increasing faster than population growth. Demand for services in emergency departments (EDs) increased 3.2% per annum in the 5 years to 2010–11.1

1 School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
2 Emergency Department, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: patrick.bolton@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Competing interests:

Patrick Bolton is a non-executive director of Ochre Health, the interests of which include GP Super Clinics.

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