Why are we here? A study of patient actions prior to emergency hospital admission
Source: Emergency Medicine Journal

We found that the majority of adult patients who are admitted to hospital with an acute illness seek professional help from primary care in the first instance and only one quarter attend the ED directly. Those who did attend the ED generally perceived their problem as more urgent or severe, or had an ambulance called on their behalf when they became ill in a public place. Of those patients eventually admitted, 25% who contacted their GP in hours, and at least 50% out of hours, were admitted to hospital without actually seeing a primary healthcare professional. Few admitted patients in this sample chose other routes of initial healthcare access, such as NHS Direct or walk-in centres.

The shift towards ED care appears to be partly driven by changes in general practice and unfamiliarity with the new arrangements for out-of-hours primary care. Measures to channel unscheduled health needs through primary care may not substantially reduce hospital admissions.

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