title: [Non-urgent emergency department visits at a children's hospital].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The primary function of an Emergency Department is to assist patients with acute conditions; however, many visits are for nonurgent reasons. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of nonurgent emergency department visits and to describe the reasons for them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional and descriptive study, conducted in a Pediatric Hospital. We included patients aged between 1 month and 18 years, who presented to the emergency department during the whole day, in working and non-working days. We defined as nonurgent visits those corresponding to level 5 in the Emergency Severity Index classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 249 visits; 59% of which were nonurgent. The main reason referred was the difficulty to obtain an appointment in a primary care center (42.9%). Nonurgent visits were more frequent in working days (p= 0.007), conducted by caregivers living within 15 km of the hospital (p= 0.003) and those who used to visit the emergency department when they were children (p= 0.005). Patients with chronic diseases (p= 0.001), those who were referred by another professional (p= 0.002), and caregivers who lived without another adult in their home (p= 0.002) consulted less frequently for nonurgent reasons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequency of nonurgent visits was high. The main reason referred was the difficulty to obtain an appointment with a primary care centre.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Urgencias, Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde, Argentina. nicolasvinelli@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nicolás F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Vinelli
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mannucci
authors.forename: Natalia I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Laba
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: del Vecchio
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valerio
authors.forename: María I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lago
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nieto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires