Why do patients who are triaged as low-acuity visit the emergency department? - A Polish perspective

Emergency departments (EDs) worldwide are dealing with overcrowding, system fragmentation, and coordination problems, which impact patient wait times, staff job satisfaction, and patient outcomes. Inappropriate ED visits, particularly those for low acuity conditions, exacerbate these challenges. However, the motivations behind these visits are poorly understood, with limited data from the patient perspective. This study investigated patient-reported motives behind ED visits triaged as low acuity in Poznan, Poland, to propose health care system flow enhancements.

A cross-sectional survey and retrospective chart review were conducted in the ED of the Hipolit Cegielski Medical Center in Poznań, Poland, over three months in 2022-23. Patients who were triaged to have low acuity conditions were invited to participate in the survey. The data collected through the questionnaire included patient and ED visit characteristics. Additional information on the visits was extracted from the patient charts.

This study involved 293 patients who underwent low-acuity triage. Among them, 58 % were deemed to have conditions that could have been treated in primary care. Most of the patients (74 %) visited the ED of their own volition due to concerns about their health. Other reasons for ED attendance were challenges accessing primary care or a specialist clinic (11 %), system navigation problems (5 %), or a lack of trust in their primary care provider (2 %).

This study showed that of the patients surveyed, the majority had conditions that could have been treated outside of the ED setting. We recommend prioritizing education, particularly among younger adults, to increase awareness about nonurgent care options while improving health care policies.