1. Emergency departments: better safe than sorry?
- Author
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Atenstaedt, Robert and Evans, Kelly
- Subjects
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COMMUNITY health services , *DECISION making , *EMERGENCY medical services , *FOCUS groups , *HEALTH services accessibility , *HELP-seeking behavior , *LENGTH of stay in hospitals , *HOSPITAL emergency services , *INTERNET , *MEDICAL appointments , *MEDICAL care use , *PARENTS , *PATIENTS , *PEDIATRICS , *GENERAL practitioners , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *SURVEYS , *INFORMATION resources , *JOB performance , *THEMATIC analysis , *PATIENTS' attitudes - Abstract
Emergency departments (EDs) in the UK are under increasing pressure, partly because people use them inappropriately for non-urgent conditions. As part of NHS Wales Choose Well campaign, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, based in Bangor, Gwynedd, commissioned research into public perceptions of EDs and alternative urgent care services. This article reports on the findings, one of which is that parents tend to choose EDs as the default option when their children are unwell. The article also asks how public trust in other NHS services can be built so that demand on EDs can be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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