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Ambulance diversion is not associated with low acuity patients attending Perth metropolitan emergency departments
Author(s) -
Sprivulis Peter,
Grainger Stephen,
Nagree Yusuf
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2005.00686.x
Subject(s) - metropolitan area , medicine , inner city , attendance , emergency department , emergency medicine , demography , socioeconomics , psychiatry , pathology , sociology , economics , economic growth
Objective: To examine the relationship between ambulance diversion and low acuity patient (LAP) attendances to EDs. Methods: Comparison of LAP attendance rates at inner metropolitan EDs and outer metropolitan EDs using a previously validated methodology. Results: The percentage of LAP attendances was lower at inner metropolitan EDs (11.4%, 95% CI 11.3–11.6) compared to outer metropolitan hospitals (22.9%, 95% CI 22.6–23.2, P < 0.001). The proportion of LAP attendances was slightly higher at both inner and outer metropolitan hospitals after‐hours compared to working hours. Average daily LAP attendances per inner metropolitan hospital (13.4 attendances, 95% CI 13.2–13.6) which averaged 89.2 min of diversion daily (95% CI 88.7–89.7) were lower than at outer metropolitan hospitals (19.3 attendances, 95% CI 19.0–19.6, P < 0.001), which averaged 12.4 min of diversion daily (95% CI 12.1–12.5, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Inner metropolitan hospitals experience low LAP attendance rates. Attempts to further reduce LAP attendance rates at Perth inner metropolitan hospitals have limited scope to reduce ambulance diversion.