Emergency seek for non-urgency patients - Literature review

Abstract

Based on the question of why non-urgent patients seek an Emergency Service (ES), this literature review demonstrated that the problem is not a Brazilian privilege but a global one. Emphasizing the fact that the screening carried out is not based solely on clinical criteria, being influenced by social issues rather than because, for the patient, their problem requires immediate treatment. The lack of accessibility to specialized care, geographical dispersion, distrust due to the deterioration of the doctor-patient relationship, the lack of health education among the population and the culture of immediacy are the main causes of the increase in attendance at hospital emergency services on its own initiative. The definition of "non-urgent" is variable and is generally associated with the individual's economic and social condition, also claiming that going to the emergency room is due to the convenience of being close to where they live and being open 24 hours a day. These consultations (on average, 2/3 of patients do not qualify as urgent) cause harm both to the population that actually needs the ES and to health care providers due to the overcrowding of the system. Its resolution is complex as it ranges from investments in more efficient outpatient care services to raising society's awareness of what an emergency really is.