Deferred Care for Patients in the Emergency Department
Authors: Eric B. Larson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Editorials5 November 2002Deferred Care for Patients in the Emergency DepartmentEric B. Larson, MD, MPHEric B. Larson, MD, MPHSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-9-200211050-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Many areas of the United States are characterized by widespread crowding of emergency departments. In this issue, Washington and colleagues (1) describe a randomized, controlled trial of a system designed to identify persons who have symptoms related to abdominal and pelvic pain, musculoskeletal pain, or respiratory infection and meet criteria for deferred care. After screening by an experienced emergency department nurse, patients who met criteria for deferred care received, at random, either traditional same-day care through the emergency department or an appointment at a primary care clinic at the study site the following day. Not surprisingly, the wait time was ...References1. Washington DL, Stevens CD, Shekelle PG, Henneman PL, Brook RH. Next-day care for emergency department users with nonacute conditions. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:707-14. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Derlet R, Richards J, Kravitz R. Frequent overcrowding in U.S. emergency departments. Acad Emerg Med. 2001;8:151-5. [PMID: 11157291] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Adams J, Schmidt T, Sanders A, Larkin GL, Knopp R. Professionalism in emergency medicine. SAEM Ethics Committee. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Acad Emerg Med. 1998;5:1193-9. [PMID: 9864133] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. . Emergency Departments: Unevenly Affected by Growth and Change in Patient Use. United States General Accounting Office Human Resources Division. Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Health for Families and the Uninsured, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate. Washington, DC: United States General Accounting Office; 1993. Google Scholar5. McCaig LF, Burt CW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 1999 Emergency Department Summary. Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics. No. 320. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 25 June 2001. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad320.pdf on 5 September 2002. Google Scholar6. Visits to the emergency department increase nationwide. Centers of Disease Control Media Relations. 22 April 2002. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r020422.htm on April 2002. Google Scholar7. Fields W, ed. Defending America's Safety Net. Irving, TX: American Coll of Emergency Physicians; 1999. Google Scholar8. Millman M, ed. Access to Health Care in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Pr; 1993. Google Scholar9. Billings J, Anderson GM, Newman LS. Recent findings on preventable hospitalizations. Health Aff Millwood. 1996;15:239-49. [PMID: 8854530] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Kozak LJ, Hall MJ, Owings MF. Trends in avoidable hospitalization, 1980-1998. Health Aff Millwood. 2001;20:225-32. [PMID: 11260947] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Rosenblatt RA, Wright GE, Baldwin LM, Chan L, Clitherow P, Chen FM, et al . The effect of the doctor-patient relationship on emergency department use among the elderly. Am J Public Health. 2000;90:97-102. [PMID: 10630144] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Corresponding Author: Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101-1448; e-mail, [email protected]washington.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNext-Day Care for Emergency Department Users with Nonacute Conditions Donna L. Washington , Carl D. Stevens , Paul G. Shekelle , Philip L. Henneman , and Robert H. Brook Deferred Care for Emergency Department Users with Nonacute Conditions Arthur L. Kellermann Metrics Cited ByTrends in US Emergency Department Visits for Suicide Attempts, 1992–2001Placing Emergency Department Crowding on the Decision AgendaDeferred Care for Emergency Department Users with Nonacute ConditionsArthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPHTwenty-First Century Hospitals: Intensification Increases 5 November 2002Volume 137, Issue 9Page: 764-765KeywordsAbdominal painElderlyEmergency departmentHospitalizationsInpatientsPatientsSafetyTriageUpper respiratory tract infectionsUrban areas ePublished: 5 November 2002 Issue Published: 5 November 2002 CopyrightCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...