Emergency department visits as a potential opportunity to promote primary care attachment and modify utilization patterns - results of a pilot study in Berlin, Germany.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Utilization by low acuity patients contributes to emergency department (ED) crowding. Both knowledge deficits about adequate care levels and access barriers in primary care are important promoters of such presentations. Concurrently, not having a general practitioner (GP) increases the likelihood of low-acuity ED utilization. This pilot study thus investigated feasibility, acceptance, and potential effects of an ED-delivered intervention for low-acuity patients with no regular primary care provider, consisting of an educational leaflet on acute care options and an optional GP appointment scheduling service.

Methods

Low-acuity ED consulters not attached to a GP were given an information leaflet about alternative care offers for acute health problems and offered opt

SUBMITTER: Holzinger F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11304799 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature