ArticleBMC health services research2019
A conceptual model of urgent care sense-making and help-seeking: a qualitative interview study of urgent care users in England.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Telehealth and access to acute primary care in Europe: Balancing opportunity and equity.The European journal of general practice · 2026Article
- Understanding drivers of emergency department visits among patients from populations disproportionately affected by acute care use during cancer treatment: insights from qualitative interviews.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Mediating effects between social capital and health care utilization in Italy-a structural equation model analysis.Population health metrics · 2025Article
- Healthcare utilisation among low-income individuals affected by violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a retrospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Help-seeking and access to care for stroke and heart attack during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.Sociology of health & illness · 2025Article
- The social experience of uncertainty: a qualitative analysis of emergency department care for suspected pneumonia for the design of decision support.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2024Article
- eHealth Literacy and the Use of NHS 111 Online Urgent Care Service in England: Cross-Sectional Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Parental help-seeking behaviour for, and care of, a sick or injured child during the COVID-19 pandemic: a European online survey.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Strength in the gap: A rapid review of principles and practices for urgent care centres.Healthcare management forum · 2023Review
- COVID-19 community assessment hubs in Ireland: A study of staff and patient perceptions of their value.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Article
- The perceptions of general practice among Central and Eastern Europeans in the United Kingdom: A systematic scoping review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Navigating uncertain illness trajectories for young children with serious infectious illness: a modified grounded theory study.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- A prospective study on the association between social support perceived by parents of children aged 1-7 years and the use of community youth health care services.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Caring for a sick or injured child during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 in the UK: An online survey of parents' experiences.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2021Article
- Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services: A New Conceptual Framework Incorporating Complexity and Practical Ethics.Frontiers in digital health · 2021Article
- The influence of personal communities in understanding avoidable emergency department attendance: qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTheoretical models have sought to comprehend and conceptualise how people seek help from health professionals but it is unclear if such models apply to urgent care. Much previous research does not explain the complex interactions that influence how people make sense of urgent care and how this shapes service use. This paper aims to conceptualise the complexity of sense-making and help-seeking behaviour in peoples' everyday evaluations of when and how to access modern urgent care provision.
methodsThis study comprised longitudinal semi-structured interviews undertaken in the South of England. We purposively sampled participants 75+, 18-26 years, and from East/Central Europe (sub-sample of 41 received a second interview at + 6-12 months). Framework analysis was thematic and comparative.
resultsThe amount and nature of the effort (work) undertaken to make sense of urgent care was an overarching theme of the analysis. We distinguished three distinct types of work: illness work, moral work and navigation work. These take place at an individual level but are also shared or delegated across social networks and shaped by social context and time. We have developed a conceptual model that shows how people make sense of urgent care through work which then influences help-seeking decisions and action.
conclusionsThere are important intersections between individual work and their social networks, further shaped by social context and time, to influence help-seeking. Recognising different, hidden or additional work for some groups may help design and configure services to support patient work in understanding and navigating urgent care.
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