[Why do patients use hospital emergency services on their own initiative?].
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to determine the reasons why patients use hospital emergency services (HES) on their own initiative and the characteristics of these users.


METHODS
An ad hoc questionnaire was designed and applied by consecutive selection to patients who could have waited for medical care (level 1 triage) over a 1-week period in November 2002.


RESULTS
A total of 348 patients completed the questionnaire; 82.5% attended on their own initiative; of these, 17.7% reported they did not know how Primary Care worked in relation to the Emergency Services; 18.8% consulted a Primary Care physician; 55.0% preferred the HES and 13.5% attended because of a delay in another health care setting. Half the patients (50.5%) were younger than 40 years old and 9.2% were foreigners.


CONCLUSIONS
Changes in health services' consumption patterns could jeopardize the public health system unless supply is adapted to the demand expressed and/or interventions are performed to educate the public in rational health services' consumption.
Aranaz Andrés
Jesús M
JM
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, España. aranaz_jes@gva.es
Martínez Nogueras
Rafael
R
Gea Velázquez de Castro
M Teresa
MT
Rodrigo Bartual
Vicenta
V
Antón García
Pedro
P
Pajares
Fernando Gómez
FG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires