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Emergency department patients who leave without being seen by a doctor: the experience of a medical center in northern Taiwan.
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Liao, How-Chin Liaw, Shiumn-Jen Hu, Pai-Min Lee, Keong-Tiong Chen, Chin-Ming Wang, Feng-Lin |
| Copyright Year | 2002 |
| Abstract | BACKGROUND To determine why emergency department (ED) patients leave without being seen (LWBS) by a physician and to ascertain whether they receive alternative medical care. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted of patients who left without being seen by a physician between January 1 and June 30, 1999 in a medical center ED in northern Taiwan. Medical records were reviewed for population demographics, presenting complaints, and clinic acuity rating. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted within 3 weeks after the patient left the ED. RESULTS Of 74,485 registered patients, 77 (0.1%) left without being seen by a doctor, and follow-up was achieved for 39.0% (30 of 77) of these. Ninety-seven percent (75 of 77) had low acuity ratings, and 58% (45 of 77) left within 60 min after registration. The respondents cited the following 3 leading reasons for leaving: prolonged waiting times (16 of 30, 53.3%), ED appeared busy (6 of 30, 20.0%), and self-referral to the hospital outpatient department (4 of 30, 13.3%). Most respondents believed that they should have been evaluated by a physician within 60 min of presentation. About half (14/30, 46.6%) of them sought further medical care within 24 h after they left the ED. CONCLUSION In our study, only 0.1% of patients who sought care in the ED left without being seen by a physician. The majority of survey respondents had a low acuity rating and left because of long waiting times. Half of the patients who left without being seen sought alternative medical care. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| PubMed reference number | 12173665 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 25 |
| Issue Number | 6 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://memo.cgu.edu.tw/cgmj/2506/250602.pdf |
| Journal | Chang Gung medical journal |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
