ArticleFamily practice2025
Why do patients seek emergency care for problems that could be managed in primary care? A scoping review.
Article in Family practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Registered Nurse Prescriber-Led Triage-Treatment-Continuity Model in Family Medicine: A Practice Innovation and Service Evaluation from Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEmergency care systems worldwide are increasingly facing capacity challenges. A significant number of people are using emergency care, including the use of emergency departments and ambulance services, for conditions that could be managed in primary care settings, potentially creating unnecessary strains on the already heavily burdened emergency care systems, leading to overcrowding, inefficient use of healthcare resources, and inadequate access to emergency care for those in need.
objectivesThis scoping review of the literature aimed to explore existing evidence considering the multifaceted factors contributing to patients' decisions to seek emergency care for conditions manageable in primary care.
methodsA comprehensive search of "PubMed", "Embase", "MEDLINE", "CINAHL" and "the Cochrane Library" was conducted, including peer-reviewed articles published from Jan 1st 2004, until June 15th 2024. This review was conducted following the methodological framework presented by Arksey and O'Malley.
resultsA total of 44 studies conducted in 21 countries worldwide were included in the final analysis. Key data were extracted and analysed using thematic analysis, and the following themes have been identified: (1) accessibility and convenience, (2) health anxiety, (3) uncertainty and knowledge gaps in healthcare services, (4) external advice and encouragement, and (5) personal influences.
conclusionOur study maps the existing international literature to inform researchers and policymakers on possible future development of efficient alternative care frameworks and pathways designed to alter emergency care utilisation behaviours, ultimately reducing unnecessary visits and ensuring efficient care is provided for true emergencies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.