[Why do our patients go to hospital emergency departments?]

To analyse the causes of overuse of hospital emergency services (HES).

Cross sectional, descriptive study.

Emergency service at a general hospital.

Patients who attended the HES on their own initiative.

Telephone poll to a representative sample of patients attending on their own initiative the emergency department of the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid between October 5th and 12th. Average age: 46.95 (SD, 20.81); 52.2% women and 47.8% men, 50% were ignorant of the existence of primary care emergencies. 77% were ignorant of the existence of ongoing care points. Main motives for attendance at HES were: ignorance of non-hospital emergency services (32%), better technical means (25.6%), quicker care (21%), sensation of vital urgency (11.4%), poor quality of care in PC (8%). The care received at HES was evaluated as positive in 90% of cases, though 33% thought the information provided insufficient, and 34% the waiting-time excessive. Although 40% believed afterwards that their problem could have been resolved in PC, as many as 75% would return to the hospital.

Widespread ignorance of the existence of non-hospital emergency services affects the over-use of HES. Most users use the HES as a service of immediate PC, a rapid way of obtaining health care. Users have a very favourable opinion of HES care, which is not stated in the case of non-hospital emergency services. In order to improve use of the HES, the population needs to receive better health education.