Age-related variation in primary care type presentations to emergency departments

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A significant amount of attention has been paid to the increase in emergency department (ED) presentations in Australia. Questions have arisen regarding whether all of those presenting to the ED are actually in need of true emergency services. Under-standing the characteristics of those patients who may be cared for in non-emergency settings is important for future health system strategies. The aim of this study was to identify age-related variation in primary care type emergency department (ED) presentations over time. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the Victorian emergency minimum dataset (VEMD) between 2002-13 was conducted. The main outcomes were patterns of primar..