Even with other options, patients overuse ERs.
A California study shows that clinicians need to educate HIV-infected patients about when to contact their physicians instead of automatically going to the emergency room when faced with a health crisis. Patients often use the emergency department instead of visiting their regular doctor, even for common symptoms such as tension headaches, concludes the study published in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration; D002140:California; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care