Open AccessThe Possible Impact on Patient Attendance and Expectation after Imposing a Fee on Semi‐Urgent and Non‐Urgent Cases Utilising the Accident and Emergency Service
Author(s) -
Tsoi LCH,
Chung CH
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490790100800101
Subject(s) - medicine , attendance , emergency department , service (business) , medical emergency , ambulance service , accident and emergency , scope (computer science) , emergency medicine , family medicine , nursing , business , marketing , economics , economic growth , computer science , programming language
A survey was conducted in a district hospital's Emergency Department (ED) to estimate the possible impact of levying fees on non‐urgent and semi‐urgent cases. Three hundred and eighty‐three subjects in the non‐urgent and semi‐urgent categories were successfully recruited for analysis. Among them, 14.4% and 31.3% said they would not come to the ED when the proposed fees were $100 and $150 respectively. The mean consultation fee deemed appropriate for non‐urgent and semi‐urgent cases was $97.7 (95% C.I. 90.3, 105.2). The effect of a nearby clinic ‐ ‘Pilot Medical Centre’ ‐ was also examined. Among the respondents, 56.1% said they would go to a nearby clinic for medical treatment if the fees were comparable in the two places; and 50.4% said they would not come to ED for treatment if the ED charged more than the nearby clinic. However, although 84.6% of the subjects rated the present ED service as satisfactory, 62.4% expected better service when they have to pay a fee. This will put the already stretched frontline staff under higher pressure. Without defining the scope of ED service, imposing a fee on a previously free service will put the ED in a difficult position.