Search results

In the USA, primary care is usually defined as comprehensive or coordinated care that is delivered by physicians practicing general internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics. Obstetrics and gynecology is sometimes included under the auspices of primary care since many women, particularly during the childbearing years, rely on these physicians for preventive services. Over the last 50 years, the funding models for primary care in the USA have been inconsistent and fragmented, resulting in a complex and inadequate funding system. Although many countries have developed government‐sponsored, universal health care plans, the USA did not choose this route. Rather, significant change in US medicine has been the intended or unintended result of legislation and market‐forces.

Physicians can significantly impact both the quality and the cost of health care. Thus, it is not surprising that there is great interest in modifying physician behavior. There have been three main methods used to alter physician behavior: education, motivation, and facilitation. This article reviews the success of these methods.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/14664100010333017. When citing the article, please cite: Alyson DeSalvo, Sandi Binda Rest, Tammy Knight, Mary Nettleman, Steve Freer, (2000), “Patient education and emergency room visits”, British Journal of Clinical Governance, Vol. 5 Iss: 1, pp. 35 - 38.

Patients visit emergency rooms for urgent and non‐urgent care. Because emergency room visits are more costly than visits to primary care clinics and are less likely to involve preventive care, third party payers and institutions have always tried to shift patients away from the emergency room and towards primary care clinics where appropriate. Hypothesizes that an intervention based in an adult primary care clinic might enable this, especially if it involved patients who used both the clinic and the emergency room. Surveys patients to determine why they used the emergency room and to identify barriers to using the primary care clinic instead. Based on the survey results, an intervention was developed to facilitate use of the primary care clinic. Discusses the methodology used in the survey and analyses results. Concludes that it is difficult to change patient behaviour to fit the demands of the health care system. Possibly, it would be better to change the system to fit the behaviour patterns of the patients.