Inequalities and short-term outcome among patients assessed as non-urgent in a Swedish ambulance service setting.

Autor: Forsell L; Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Emergency Department, Helsingborg General Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden., Forsberg A; Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden., Kisch A; Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Haematology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden., Rantala A; Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Emergency Department, Helsingborg General Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden. Electronic address: andreas.rantala@med.lu.se.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International emergency nursing [Int Emerg Nurs] 2021 Jul; Vol. 57, pp. 101018. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jun 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101018
Abstrakt: Background: Within the ambulance service, assessment and referral of patients, especially those with non-urgent conditions, is a difficult and complicated task. Studies indicate that 12 to 20 percent of all patients are subjected to non-conveyance and discharged at the scene. There is lack of knowledge of what characterizes conveyed and non-conveyed patients. The aim of this study was to explore non-urgent patients who are conveyed or not conveyed to hospital and the short-term outcome of non-conveyance in a Swedish Ambulance Service setting.
Methods: This study has a descriptive, cross-sectional design. All patients who were prioritized as non-urgent were eligible for the study and 1,048 patients were followed-up in an administrative data system that stores information about the patients' trajectory in both primary and hospital care.
Results: More women than men were subjected to non-conveyance and most of the non-conveyed patients were left at home out-of-hours. 53% sought care again within 72 h. A large proportion of the non-conveyed patients were assessed as having unspecific symptoms.
Conclusions: There are prominent gender differences in the context of non-conveyance where unspecific symptoms seem to be the main reason for being left at home. As many of the non-conveyed patients who did not receive any advice about further investigation or intervention sought care again within 72 h, the assessments may be insufficient or inaccurate.
(Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: