Impact of Primary Care Visit Frequency on Non-Urgent Emergency Department Visits in a Large Urban Medical Center.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To examine whether primary care visit frequency (PVF) is associated with non-urgent emergency department visits (NU-EDVs) at a large urban medical center, and to identify determinants of higher PVF among Emergency Department patients.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult ED patients (ESI ≥4 considered NU-EDV) at a Southern California Level I trauma center (September 2021-April 2024). Undergraduate research associates administered a 29-item instrument capturing demographics, utilization, barriers, trust in primary care, and comorbidities. Bivariate tests and multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for NU-EDV and for PVF ≥3 visits/year.

Results

Among 964 patients with a primary care provider, 62.9% reported <3 PCP

SUBMITTER: Chandekar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12906620 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature