Identifying and quantifying general practice‐type emergency department presentations. (18th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Duwalage, Kalpani I; Burkett, Ellen; White, Gentry; Wong, Andy; Thompson, Mery H
• Is Part Of: Emergency medicine Australasia. Volume 33:Number 6(2021)
• Page Start: 1049
• Page End: 1058
• Publication Date: 2021-05-18
• Subjects: Australasian College for Emergency Medicine -- emergency department -- general practice‐type -- holiday -- presentation; Emergency medicine -- Periodicals; Emergency medicine -- Australasia -- Periodicals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.13800
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-6731

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: This research aims to (i) identify general practice‐type (GP‐type) presentations to EDs in South‐East Queensland, Australia and (ii) compare and quantify the clinical, socio‐demographic and time‐varying characteristics between GP‐type and non‐GP‐type presentations. Methods: Data were collected from presentations to four EDs in Queensland from 2009 to 2014. A modified version of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) method for identifying GP‐type ED presentations was used. Results: The four EDs have different proportions of GP‐type presentations, between 7% and 33%. Between 2009 and 2014, the amount of GP‐type presentations increased in three EDs, by between 5% and 16%, and decreased by 30% in the other ED. Different holidays, for example, the public holidays over the Christmas to New Year period, impact GP‐type presentations. Over 50% of GP‐type presentations occurred in those aged 0–34 years, and <1% were aged 85+ years. Injury‐related diagnoses made up around 37% of the GP‐type presentations, and around 13% did not wait for a diagnosis, averaged over the EDs. GP‐type presentations are more likely to present to EDs outside standard general practitioner hours. Conclusions: Existing methods for identifying GP‐type presentations have drawbacks, and modified methods are required to better identify these types of presentations. Temporal effects not previously investigated in Australian studies, such as holidays, are significantly associated with GP‐type presentations. These findings aid strategic planning and interventions to support review of GP‐type presentations, instead, in primary‐care facilities, and such interventions may be assistive in some EDs more than others. Abstract : ​ This research identified general practice‐type (GP‐type) presentations to EDs and compared and quantified the clinical, socio‐demographic and time‐varying characteristics between GP‐type and non‐GP‐type presentations using a modified version of the Australian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) method. Findings concluded that existing methods for identifying GP‐type presentations have drawbacks, and modified methods are required to better identify these types of presentations. Temporal effects not previously investigated in Australian studies, such as holidays, are significantly associated with GP‐type ED presentations.