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Reasons Why Patients Attend An Emergency Department, Emily J. Carmona

Theses : Honours

The traditional role of emergency departments (ED) is to provide emergency and lifesaving treatment to accident victims (Catchlove, 1974). These departments provide a unique service to the Australian community, as medical treatment is available without medical referral or appointment. However, attendance patterns suggest that a high proportion of members of the public seek treatment for non-urgent conditions at these departments (Bain & Johnson, 1971; Starr, 1973). The purpose of this study is to update existing information about attendance patterns by describing the current use of one teaching hospital emergency department. A descriptive study design using a quantitative approach was used …