Initial experience of a Priority Primary Care Centre in metropolitan Melbourne

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Emergency Medicine
• Primary Care

Background:

• Emergency Departments (EDs) face increasing pressure from high patient volumes.
• Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) are being established to manage non-urgent presentations.
• Evaluating the integration of PPCCs into existing healthcare pathways is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the initial experience and effectiveness of a newly established Priority Primary Care Centre (PPCC) from the ED perspective.
• To determine the rate of successful referrals and identify patient characteristics managed by the PPCC.
• To evaluate the PPCC's role in alleviating ED workload.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study was conducted at a single centre.
• Data collection focused on patient referrals from the ED to the PPCC between February 1 and June 30, 2023.
• Referral numbers, return-to-ED rates, and PPCC management outcomes were analyzed.

Main Results:

• A total of 1240 patients were referred from the ED to the PPCC.
• 7.0% (87 patients) of referred patients were subsequently returned to the ED.
• The incidence rate of PPCC referrals from the ED was 4.2% (95% CI 4.0-4.5).

Conclusions:

• The PPCC demonstrated an ability to redirect a subset of ED presentations effectively.
• Early data suggest that appropriate patient selection and management are feasible within the PPCC setting.
• The PPCC shows potential as a valuable component in managing primary care needs and reducing ED burden.