ED patients: how nonurgent are they? Systematic review of the emergency medicine literature

Anne-Claire Durand; Stéphanie Gentile; Bénédicte Devictor; Sylvie Palazzolo; Pascal Vignally; Patrick Gerbeaux; Roland Sambuc

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2010.01.003

Switch to Standard View Switch to Enhanced View

ED patients: how nonurgent are they? Systematic review of the emergency medicine literature

Anne-Claire Durand, MPh

Stéphanie Gentile, MD, PhD

Bénédicte Devictor, PhD

Sylvie Palazzolo, MPh

Pascal Vignally, PhD

Patrick Gerbeaux, MD, PhD

Roland Sambuc, MD, PhD

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2010.01.003

Article Info

Purchase this article (PDF Included)

$31.50 USD (24 hour access)

Subscribe to this title

To view the full text, please login as a subscribed user or purchase a subscription. Click here to view the full text on ScienceDirect.

Abstract

Nonurgent visits to emergency departments (ED) are a controversial issue; they have been negatively associated with crowding and costs. We have conducted a critical review of the literature regarding methods for categorizing ED visits into urgent or nonurgent and analyzed the proportions of nonurgent ED visits. We found 51 methods of categorization. Seventeen categorizations conducted prospectively in triage areas were based on somatic complaint and/or vital sign collection. Categorizations conducted retrospectively (n = 34) were based on the diagnosis, the results of tests obtained during the ED visit, and hospital admission. The proportions of nonurgent ED visits varied considerably: 4.8% to 90%, with a median of 32 %. Comparisons of methods of categorization in the same population showed variability in levels of agreement. Our review has highlighted the lack of reliability and reproducibility

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Log In

Register

Create a new account

Purchase access to this article

$31.50 USD|Online access for 24 hours

Claim Access

If you are a current subscriber with Society Membership or an Account Number, claim your access now.

Subscribe to this title

Purchase a subscription to gain access to this and all other articles in this journal.

Institutional Access

Visit ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.

ED patients: how nonurgent are they? Systematic review of the emergency medicine literature

Affiliations

Correspondence

Affiliations

Correspondence

Affiliations

Affiliations

Affiliations

Affiliations

Affiliations

Affiliations

Article Info

Abstract

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Log In

Register

Purchase access to this article

Claim Access

Subscribe to this title

Institutional Access

Article Tools

Related Articles