Why patients attend emergency departments for conditions potentially appropriate for primary care: reasons given by patients and clinicians differ.
OBJECTIVE
To compare reasons identified by clinical staff for potential primary care attendances to the ED with those previously identified by patients.


METHODS
Survey of staff and primary care patients in five ED in New South Wales, Australia using questionnaire based on reasons identified in published studies.


RESULTS
Clinicians in the survey identify a broader spectrum of reasons for potential primary care cases presenting to the ED than the patients themselves report. Doctors reported on average 4.1 very important reasons and nurses 4.8 compared with patients 2.4 very important reasons. The main reasons identified by both doctors and nurses were similar and quite different to those identified by patients. Clinicians were more likely to emphasize cost and access issues rather than acuity and complexity issues. There was no difference within the clinician group between doctors and nurses nor by varying levels of experience. Furthermore doctors with significant experience in both primary care and emergency medicine did not differ from the overall clinicians' pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
These data confirm that clinician perspectives on reasons for potential primary care patients' use of ED differ quite markedly from the perspectives of patients themselves. Those differences do not necessarily represent a punitive or blaming philosophy but will stem from the very different paradigms from which the two protagonists approach the interactions, reflecting the standard tension in a provider - consumer relationship. If policy is to be developed to improve system use and access, it must take both perspectives into account with respect to redesign, expectations and education.
Masso
Malcolm
M
Centre for Health Service Development, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. mmasso@uow.edu.au
Bezzina
Andrew J
AJ
Siminski
Peter
P
Middleton
Rebekkah
R
Eagar
Kathy
K
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009517:New South Wales; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires