[Quality and improvement propositions for the Annecy emergency medical services]

Emergency visits are one of the most common ways patients are admitted to hospitals. This study aims to characterise emergency visits in the Annecy District, in order to identify future actions for better management. Four studies were implemented: telephone surveys among 600 households and 130 physicians; and two observational studies of emergency visits to 80 physicians and to hospital emergency services. We observed that the hospital emergency service offers patients a good service, and therefore attracts many minor pathologies not requiring a hospital visit. Implementation of alternative structures, outside the hospital, to offer similar service must be considered. Co-operation among the different actors must be improved, and can benefit from new communication technology.