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- Title
Unscheduled return visits by patients to the accident and emergency department.
- Authors
O'Dwyer, F; Bodiwala, G G
- Abstract
To determine why patients reattend an A&E department we surveyed 235 patients who returned unscheduled in a one-month period. Sixty-two per cent returned because of persistent symptoms. Sixty-three per cent presented within a week of their initial visit. Only 32% had attempted to see their GP. Thirty-five per cent of all patients claimed that A&E staff had advised them to return if they had problems. Half of the patients did not require treatment and 61% were discharged home. Twenty-one patients had pathology that had been missed on their first visit. Better patient education may minimize misuse of the service allowing better care for those who need it.
- Publication
Archives of emergency medicine, 1991, Vol 8, Issue 3, p196
- ISSN
0264-4924
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1136/emj.8.3.196