Advanced Access in Primary Healthcare and Its Effects on Emergency Department Utilization: A Rapid Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• The advanced access (AA) scheduling model in primary healthcare (PHC) is hypothesized to reduce emergency department (ED) visits.
• Current evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited and uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of AA models in PHC for reducing ED visits compared to traditional scheduling.
• To synthesize existing literature on the impact of AA on ED utilization.

Main Methods:

• A rapid literature review adhering to World Health Organization guidelines.
• Searches were conducted in PubMed and Lilacs databases for articles published between 1980 and 2023.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies evaluating AA as an intervention and ED visits as an outcome.

Main Results:

• Initial search yielded 1286 articles; 1245 were excluded based on relevance and outcome measures.
• Eight articles met initial criteria for evaluating ED visits.
• Five studies were included in the final analysis, with three indicating a reduction in ED visits associated with AA adoption.

Conclusions:

• The adoption of advanced access in primary healthcare shows potential for reducing emergency department visits.
• Further investigation is crucial to fully understand the relationship between AA implementation and its outcomes in universal healthcare settings.