Emergency Department Versus Primary Care Use: A Patient Perspective

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Behavior Analysis
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• Emergency departments (EDs) are high-cost healthcare components.
• Many ED visits are for nonurgent conditions treatable by primary care physicians (PCPs).
• Factors influencing patient preference for ED over PCP for acute illness are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient motivations for choosing the ED instead of their PCP office for acute illnesses.
• To explore the patient perspective on healthcare seeking behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative observational study conducted in Wilkes Barre, PA.
• 30 patient interviews were conducted following recent ED visits (December 2021 - March 2022).
• Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns in patient responses.

Main Results:

• Key themes included the value of the PCP-patient relationship.
• Patients expressed a preference for multiple medical information sources.
• Patients subjectively deemed their symptoms as emergent, sought care despite cost concerns, and considered facility wait times.

Conclusions:

• Patient voice provides valuable insights into community healthcare-seeking trends.
• Understanding patient motivations can help healthcare systems personalize protocols.
• Adapting services based on patient values can improve healthcare delivery and potentially reduce unnecessary ED utilization.