Emergency department patients who leave without seeing a physician: the Toronto Hospital experience.
Ann Emerg Med
; 24(6): 1092-6, 1994 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-7978590
ABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVES:
To determine why emergency department patients leave without being seen by a physician and whether they receive alternate medical care.DESIGN:
A prospective, cross-sectional study of patients who left without being seen. Charts were reviewed for population demographics, presenting complaints, and clinical acuity rating. Follow-up was achieved within 6 weeks through mailed survey questionnaires and telephone interviews.SETTING:
Two inner-city EDs of the Toronto Hospital, a quaternary care facility.PARTICIPANTS:
All 423 patients who registered for care and left without being seen during a 16-week period from January to May 1991.RESULTS:
Of 23,933 registered patients, 423 (1.4%) left without being seen. Follow-up was achieved on 39% of patients (165 of 423). Sixty-seven percent of those who left (284 of 423) had low acuity ratings. Of the 165 survey respondents, 107 (65%) left between 30 minutes and 2 hours after registration. The major reasons cited for leaving included prolonged waiting time (99 of 165, 60%), perceived difficulties with hospital staff (46 of 165, 28%), and pressing commitments elsewhere (45 of 165, 27%). Ninety-two percent (152 of 165) believed they should be evaluated by a physician within 1 hour of presentation. Forty-eight percent (80 of 165) sought further medical attention within 24 hours. Personal physicians (65 of 165, 39%) and other EDs (29 of 165, 18%) were the most common sources of further medical care.CONCLUSION:
The majority of survey respondents had a low acuity rating and left because of prolonged waiting times. Most of these patients sought alternate medical care through their personal physician or other EDs.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pacientes Desistentes do Tratamento
/
Satisfação do Paciente
/
Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ann Emerg Med
Ano de publicação:
1994
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá