OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of accident and emergency department (A and E) access, process management and outcome after grouping patients by their citizenship. METHODS: The study was conducted using the recorded linkage database at a local public health agency in north-east Italy. We investigated 35,541 adult patients (18-65 years) accessing the A and E. RESULTS: An underutilization of primary care services and the use of A and E for nonurgent conditions is a problem affecting all nationalities, natives included. The length of the stay in A and E and the consistency between level of urgency and priority of the visits at entry and exit triage were similar for all citizenship groups. Illegal migrants were more frequently hospitalized after A and E visits than other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The potentially inappropriate use of A and E for non-urgent conditions was common among all the patient groups considered and barriers to primary care may enhance this behavior among migrants. This situation could also explain the higher odds ratio for migrants' hospitalization and discharge to ambulatory services after A and E visits.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of accident and emergency department (A and E) access, process management and outcome after grouping patients by their citizenship. METHODS: The study was conducted using the recorded linkage database at a local public health agency in north-east Italy. We investigated 35,541 adult patients (18-65 years) accessing the A and E. RESULTS: An underutilization of primary care services and the use of A and E for nonurgent conditions is a problem affecting all nationalities, natives included. The length of the stay in A and E and the consistency between level of urgency and priority of the visits at entry and exit triage were similar for all citizenship groups. Illegal migrants were more frequently hospitalized after A and E visits than other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The potentially inappropriate use of A and E for non-urgent conditions was common among all the patient groups considered and barriers to primary care may enhance this behavior among migrants. This situation could also explain the higher odds ratio for migrants' hospitalization and discharge to ambulatory services after A and E visits.
Authors: Francisco Collazos; Ángeles Malagón-Amor; Irene Falgas-Bague; Adil Qureshi; Jose Maria Gines; Maria Del Mar Ramos; Samantha McPeck; Isra Hussain; Ye Wang; Margarita Alegría Journal: Transcult Psychiatry Date: 2020-04-11
Authors: Alain Vanasse; Josiane Courteau; Maria Gabriela Orzanco; Patrick Bergeron; Alan A Cohen; Théophile Niyonsenga Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2015-04-09 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Elisabetta De Vito; Chiara de Waure; Maria Lucia Specchia; Paolo Parente; Elena Azzolini; Emanuela Maria Frisicale; Marcella Favale; Adele Anna Teleman; Walter Ricciardi Journal: Public Health Rev Date: 2016-10-03