Open AccessNon-urgent patients in the Emergency Departement
Author(s) -
Stefano Rocco,
Massimo Fusello
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
emergency care journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2282-2054
pISSN - 1826-9826
DOI - 10.4081/ecj.2008.6.19
Subject(s) - medicine , triage , emergency department , medical emergency , primary care , emergency medicine , family medicine , nursing
The non-urgent patients in the Emergency Departement (ED) are a widespread challenging problem. In the present study we investigated the relationship between the non-urgent patients in ED and the primary care services in an urban area (Mestre- Venezia). An alternative management of these patients supported by a group of family doctors in a separate laboratory, close to the ED, and using the ED triage system, has also been studied. The management of these patients in terms of waiting time, percent of patients who have left the ED without being seen and inappropriate dismissions, was sactisfactory. Otherwise 50% of the patients were sent to an urgent specialistic advisory in spite of their non-urgent problem presented. The involvement of primary care providers and a reasonable limit to an unjustified specialistic advisory are requiered to achieve a reliable alternative management for non-urgent patients in ED