Why patients attend emergency department for primary care type problems: views of healthcare providers working in a remote community.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency department (ED) utilisation continues to increase, particularly for primary care presentations that do not require high level ED services. The reasons for this are complex, and research has focused on patient perspectives in choosing where to seek care rather than those of ED and general practitioner (GP) providers. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the views of ED and GP providers regarding ED utilisation for primary care type health conditions in a small, remote Australian city with perhaps unique population demographics and service configuration. METHODS: Service providers from the ED and general practice clinics were invited to participate in focus groups and semi-structured interviews exploring their views on ED utilisation for primary-care-type health presentations. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: In total, 24 healthcare providers (five GPs, seven ED practitioners, seven community nurse navigators, four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and one Indigenous Liaison Officer) participated in focus groups discussion and interviews. The analysis identified three themes: access and logistic barriers, rational decision-making and self-perceived urgency. While there was some overlap in the healthcare providers' perceptions, there were also strong differences between ED and GP groups. In particular, the ED group believed that GP services are less accessible for urgent appointments, whereas GPs believed that such arrangements were in place. Both groups agreed on the need for clear communication between the ED and general practice. CONCLUSION: ED and GP providers demonstrate similarities and differences in understanding patients' reasons for choosing which service to access. The differences may stem from ED providers' focus on offering a rapid resolution of acute presentations and GP providers' focus on offering comprehensive and continuing care. Effective communication between general practice and the ED services and clearer referral pathways may help in reducing ED utilisation for less urgent primary-care-type problems.

Drivers of general practice-type presentations to the emergency department in a remote outback community.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the number of general practice-appropriate attendances in a remote emergency department and explore the reasons for patients' choice of service. DESIGN: A four-step case study approach was adopted, focusing on hospital emergency department (ED) attendances that were potentially manageable in general practice. SETTING: A large, remote community with substantial populations of Indigenous peoples and fly-in, fly-out mining industry workers. The ED is experiencing rapid growth in demand for services for lower urgency. PARTICIPANTS: Patients attending the emergency department with lower urgency problems. INTERVENTIONS: ED attendance data for 2016 were reviewed to identify lower urgency presentations. Patient records for 400 randomly selected presentations were subject to deeper analysis. A prospective survey was conducted over 6 months of 369 ED patients with lower urgency presentations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of patients attending the ED with GP-appropriate problems and influences on their decisions to attend the ED. RESULTS: About 48% of all attendances met the agreed definition of GP-appropriate problems. About half of presentations were during the normal work hours and about half of patients stated that GP services were unavailable. Younger age, lack of information about local GP services, and perceptions of convenience contributed significantly to seeking ED care. CONCLUSION: Increasing the availability of GP services alone is unlikely to be sufficient to change service utilisation. Strategies should include raising community awareness of how and when to utilise the appropriate service, understanding different models of care, and the need to register with a general practice.