Search research articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Delay in seeking emergency care.

D Rucker¹, T Brennan, H Burstin

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

|February 7, 2001

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Concurrent infectious uvulitis and peritonsillar abscess in an adult patient.

Irish medical journal·2025

Same author

Patient-derived xenotransplants can recapitulate the genetic driver landscape of acute leukemias.

Leukemia·2016

Same author

The evolution of healthcare quality measurement in the United States.

Journal of internal medicine·2016

Same author

Treatment intensification does not reduce residual HIV-1 viremia in patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2009

Same author

Multiscale modelling of drug-induced effects on cardiac electrophysiological activity.

European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences·2008

Same author

Fractures of the cervical vertebral odontoid in four horses and one pony.

The Veterinary record·2008

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Patient characteristics like age, illness severity, and access to a regular physician influence decisions to delay seeking emergency department (ED) care. Understanding these factors can help reduce delays.

Area of Science:

Emergency Medicine
Health Services Research
Patient Behavior

Background:

Patient delay in seeking emergency department (ED) care is a significant issue.
Understanding predictors of this delay is crucial for timely healthcare access.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify clinical and socioeconomic factors predicting patient delay in accessing the emergency department (ED).

Main Methods:

Surveyed 1,920 adult patients across five urban teaching hospitals regarding self-reported ED care delay.
Collected patient data through questionnaires and chart reviews.
Performed cross-sectional analysis within a prospective study.

Main Results:

32% of patients reported delaying ED care, often believing their condition was not serious.

Related Experiment Videos

Older patients, those with higher acuity, and frequent ED users reported less delay.

Patients lacking a regular physician or identifying as African American reported more delay.

Conclusions:

Patient delay in ED care is linked to beliefs about illness severity and physician access.
Identifying at-risk patients can inform interventions to mitigate care delays.
Delay predictors may vary based on the specific measure of delay used.