Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 12, Issue 4 , Pages 137-144 , November 2009

Barriers and facilitators for successful after hours care model implementation: Reducing ED utilisation

  • Margaret M. Fry, NP, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationTel.: +61 02 9514 4826; fax: +61 02 9514 4835.

Received 30 June 2009 ,Revised 6 August 2009 ,Accepted 6 August 2009.

References 

  1. Leibowitz R, Day S, Dunt D. A systematic review of the effect of different models of after-hours primary medical care services on clinical outcome, medical workload, and patient and GP satisfaction. Family Practice. 2003;20(3):311–317
  2. Dale J, Williams S, Crouch R, Patel A. A study of out-of-hours telephone advice from an A&E department. British Journal of Nursing. 1997;6(February (3)):171–174
  3. Darnell JC, Hiner SL, Neill PJ, Mamlin JJ, McDonald CJ, Hui SL, et al. After-hours telephone access to physicians with access to computerized medical records. Experience in an inner-city general medicine clinic. Medical Care. 1985;23(1):20–26
  4. Fatovich DM, Jacobs I, McCance J, Sidney K, White R. Emergency department telephone advice. Medical Journal of Australia. 1998;169(August (3)):143–146
  5. Booze Allen , Hamilton . Key drivers of demand in the Emergency Department. Sydney: NSW Health Department; 2007;
  6. Rubin M, Bonnin M. Utilization of the emergency department by patients with minor complaints. Journal of Emergency Medicine. 1995;13(6):839–842
  7. Gardner D. Primary Care Type patients in the Emergency Department; 2008. Available from: www.anu.edu.au/aphcri.
  8. Kelaher M, Dunt D, Feldman P. Effects of financial disadvantage on use and non-use of afterhours care in Australia. Health Policy. 2006;79:16–23
  9. Mira M, Cooper C, Maandag A. Contrasts between metropolitan and rural general practice in the delivery of after-hours care. Australian Family Physician. 1995;24(6):1064–1067
  10. Hurst K. British out-of-hours primary and community care: a review of the literature. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance Incorporating Leadership in Health Services. 2006;19(1):42–59
  11. Salisbury C. The demand for out-of-hours care from GPs: a review. Family Practice. 2000;17(4):340–347
  12. Roberts E, Mays N. Can primary care and community-based models of emergency care substitute for the hospital accident and emergency (A & E) department?. Health Policy. 1998;44(3):191–214
  13. Crouch R. Inappropriate attender’ in A&E. Emergency Nurse. 1992;6(27):7–9
  14. Lattimer V, Smith H, Hungin P, Glasper A, George S. Future provision of out of hours primary medical care: a survey with two general practitioner research networks. BMJ. 1996;312(February (7027)):352–356[see comment]
  15. Giesen P, Ferwerda R, Tijssen R, Mokkink H, Drijver R, van den Bosch W, et al. Safety of telephone triage in general practitioner cooperatives: do triage nurses correctly estimate urgency?. Quality & Safety in Health Care. 2007;16(3):181–184
  16. Lattimer V, Turnbull J, Burgess A, Surridge H, Gerard K, Lathlean J, et al. Effect of introduction of integrated out of hours care in England: observational study. BMJ. 2005;331(July (7508)):81–84
  17. Raftery J. Nurse telephone consultation for out-of-hours primary care can save money through reduced ER admissions, surgery attendance and GP home visits. Evidence-based Healthcare. 2000;4(3):61–161
  18. Ong R, Post J, van Rooij H, de Haan J. Call-duration and triage decisions in out of hours cooperatives with and without the use of an expert system. BMC Family Practice. 2008;9:11
  19. Richards DA, Godfrey L, Tawfik J, Ryan M, Meakins J, Dutton E, et al. NHS Direct versus general practice based triage for same day appointments in primary care: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2004;329(October (7469)):774
  20. O’Cathain A, Nicholl J, Sampson F, Walters S, McDonnell A, Munro J. Do different types of nurses give different triage decisions in NHS Direct? A mixed methods study. Journal of Health Services & Research Policy. 2004;9(4):226–233
  21. Pooley C, Briggs J, Gatrell T, Mansfield T, Cummings D, Deft J. Contacting your GP when the surgery is closed: issues of location and access. Health & Place. 2003;9(1):23–32
  22. Derkx HP, Rethans J-JE , Maiburg BH, Winkens RA, Muijtjens AM, van Rooij HG, et al. Quality of communication during telephone triage at Dutch out-of-hours centres. Patient Education & Counseling. 2009;74(2):174–178
  23. Anthony D. Changing the nature of physician referral relationships in the US: the impact of managed care. Social Science & Medicine. 2003;56(10):2033–2044
  24. Calnan M, Payne S, Kemple T, Rossdale M, Ingram J. A qualitative study exploring variations in GPs’ out-of-hours referrals to hospital. British Journal of General Practice. 2007;57(542):706–713
  25. Boushy D, Dubinsky I. Primary care physician and patient factors that result in patients seeking emergency care in a hospital setting: the patient's perspective. Journal of Emergency Medicine. 1999;17(3):405–412
  26. Shipman C, Dale J. Responding to out-of-hours demand: the extent and nature of urgent need. Family Practice. 1999;16(1):23–27
  27. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging . Emergency triage education kit. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2007;
  28. Derlet R, Kinser D, Ray L, Hamilton B, McKenzie J. Prospective identification and triage of nonemergency patients out of an emergency department: a five year study. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 1995;25(2):215–223
  29. Bolton P, Thompson L. The reasons for, and lessons learned from, the closure of the Canterbury GP After-Hours Service. Australian Health Review. 2001;24(3):66–73
  30. Comino E, Zwar N, Hermiz O. The Macarthur GP After-hours Service: a model of after-hours care for Australia. Australian Health Review. 2007;31(2):223–230
  31. Mason S, Knowles E, Colwell B, Dixon S, Wardrope J, Gorringe R, et al. Effectiveness of paramedic practitioners in attending 999 calls from elderly people in the community: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2007;335(November (7626)):919
  32. Snooks H, Foster T, Nicholl J. Results of an evaluation of the effectiveness of triage and direct transportation to minor injuries units by ambulance crews. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2004;21(January (1)):105–111
  33. Hughes P, Neal R, Maskrey N. General practitioners prefer to work in cooperatives for out of hours work. BMJ. 1997;314(June (7098)):1904
  34. Hansagi H, Olsson M, Hussain A, Ohlen G. Is information sharing between the emergency department and primary care useful to the care of frequent emergency department users?. European Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2008;15(1):34–39
  35. McKinley R, Stevenson K, Adams S, Manku-Scott T. Meeting patient expectations of care: the major determinant of satisfaction with out-of-hours primary medical care?. Family Practice. 2002;19(4):333–338
  36. Scott A, Watson M, Ross S. Eliciting preferences of the community for out of hours care provided by general practitioners: a stated preference discrete choice experiment. Social Science & Medicine. 2003;56(4):803–814
  37. Hallam L. Primary medical care outside normal working hours: review of published work. BMJ. 1994;308(6923):249–253
  38. Shipman C, Payne F, Hooper R, Dale J. Patient satisfaction with out-of-hours services; how do GP co-operatives compare with deputizing and practice-based arrangements?. Journal of Public Health Medicine. 2000;22(2):149–154
  39. Christensen MB, Olesen F. Out of hours service in Denmark: evaluation five years after reform. BMJ. 1998;316(May (7143)):1502–1505
  40. Moll van Charante E, ter Riet G, Bindels P. Self-referrals to the A&E department during out-of-hours: patients’ motives and characteristics. Patient Education and Counseling. 2008;70(2):256–265
  41. Brogan C, Pickard D, Gray A, Fairman S, Hill A. The use of out of hours health services: a cross sectional survey. BMJ. 1998;316(February (7130)):524–527
  42. Kravet S, Shore A, Miller R, Green G, Kolodner K, Wright S. Health care utilization and the proportion of primary care physicians. The American Journal of Medicine. 2008;121(2):142–148
  43. van Uden CJT, Winkens RAG, Wesseling G, Fiolet HFBM, van Schayck OCP, Crebolder HFJM. The impact of a primary care physician cooperative on the caseload of an emergency department: the Maastricht integrated out-of-hours service. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2005;20(7):612–617
  44. Dale J, Green J, Reid F, Glucksman E, Higgs R. Primary care in the accident and emergency department: II. Comparison of general practitioners and hospital doctors. BMJ. 1995;311(August (7002)):427–430
  45. Bury G, Hungerford P, Langton D, Plunkett P. A & E services in Ireland: the potential role of general practice in accident and emergency services. Irish Journal of Medical Science. 2000;169(October–December (4)):245–247
  46. Feachem RGA, Sekhri NK, White KL. Getting more for their dollar: a comparison of the NHS with California's Kaiser Permanente. BMJ. 2002;324(January (7330)):135–141
  47. van Uden C, Nieman FM, Voss G, Wesseling G, Winkens R, Crebolder HM. General practitioners’ satisfaction with and attitudes to out-of-hours services. BMC Health Services Research. 2005;5(March (1)):27
  48. Fletcher J, Pickard D, Rose J, Stewart-Brown S, Wilkinson E, Brogan C, et al. Do out-of-hours co-operatives improve general practitioners’ health?. British Journal of General Practice. 2000;50(459):815–816
  49. O’Dowd TC, McNamara K, Kelly A, O’Kelly F. Out-of-hours co-operatives: general practitioner satisfaction with governance and working arrangements. European Journal of General Practice. 2006;12(1):15–18
  50. Thompson K, Parahoo K, Farrell B. An evaluation of a GP out-of-hours service: meeting patient expectations of care. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 2004;10(3):467–474
  51. Halvorsen I, Meland E, Baerheim A. Use of out-of-hours services before and after introduction of a patient list system. Tidsskrift for Den Norske Laegeforening. 2007;127(January (1)):15–17
  52. Jones M, Carter Y, Everington S. Out of hours primary care. Patients in inner city east London like primary care centres. BMJ. 1997;314(April (7088)):1198–1199[comment]
  53. Rudd K. Walk in Centre at the Canberra Hospital. Media Statement; 25th May 2009.
  54. Salisbury C, Manku-Cott T, Moore L, Chalder M, Sharp D. Questionnaire survey of users of NHS walk-in centres: observational study. British Journal of General Practice. 2002;52(480):554–560
  55. Paxton F, Heaney D. Minor injuries units: evaluating patients’ perceptions. Nursing Standard. 1997;12(October (5)):45–47
  56. Szafran O, Bell NR. Use of walk-in clinics by rural and urban patients. Canadian Family Physician. 2000;46:114–119
  57. Iemma M. In:  Health N editors. After-hours GP care. Sydney: NSWGovernment; 2007;
  58. Sammut J. The false promise of GP super clinics. The Centre for Independent Studies; 2008;
  59. Bunn F, Byrne G, Kendall S. Telephone consultation and triage: effects on health care use and patient satisfaction. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(3):
  60. van Uden CJT, Crebolder HFJM . Does setting up out of hours primary care cooperatives outside a hospital reduce demand for emergency care?. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2004;21(6):722–723
  61. Sakr M, Angus J, Perrin J, Nixon C, Nicholl J, Wardrope J. Care of minor injuries by emergency nurse practitioners or junior doctors: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 1999;354(October (9187)):1321–1326
  62. Sakr M, Kendall R, Angus J, Sanders A, Nicholl J, Wardrope J. Emergency nurse practitioners: a three part study in clinical and cost effectiveness. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2003;20(3):158–163
  63. Laurant M, Reeves D, Hermens R, Braspenning J, Grol R, Sibbald B. Substitution of doctors by nurses in primary care. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(3):
  64. Modell M, Wonke B, Anionwu E, Khan M, Tai S, Lloyd M, et al. A multidisciplinary approach for improving services in primary care: randomised controlled trial of screening for haemoglobin disorders. BMJ. 1998;317(September (7161)):788–791
  65. Cameron PA, Joseph AP, McCarthy SM. Access block can be managed. Medical Journal of Australia. 2009;190(April (7)):364–368
  66. Burns T, Millar E, Garland C, Kendrick T, Chisholm B, Ross F. Randomized controlled trial of teaching practice nurses to carry out structured assessments of patients receiving depot antipsychotic injections. British Journal of General Practice. 1998;48(437):1845–1848
  67. Salisbury C, Munro J. Walk-in centres in primary care: a review of the international literature. British Journal of General Practice. 2003;53:53–59
  68. Shah NM, Shah MA, Jaafar B. Predictors of non-urgent utilization of hospital emergency services in Kuwait. Social Science & Medicine. 1996;42(9):1313–1323
  69. Anantharaman V. Impact of health care system interventions on emergency department utilization and overcrowding in Singapore. International Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2008;1(1):11–20
  70. Grumbach K, Selby J, Damberg C, Bindman A. Resolving the gatekeeper conundrum: what patients value in primary care and referrals to specialists. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999;282(3):261–266
  71. Davies T. Accident department or general practice?. British Medical Journal Clinical Research Ed. 1986;292(6515):241–243
  72. Shipman C, Longhurst S, Hollenbach F, Dale J. Using out-of-hours services: general practice or A&E?. Family Practice. 1997;14(6):503–509
  73. Shipman C, Payne F, Dale J, Jessopp L. Patient-perceived benefits of and barriers to using out-of-hours primary care centres. Family Practice. 2001;18(2):149–155
  74. Vedsted P, Christensen MB. The effect of an out-of-hours reform on attendance at casualty wards. The Danish example. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. 2001;19(2):95–98

PII: S1574-6267(09)00124-4

doi: 10.1016/j.aenj.2009.08.001

Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 12, Issue 4 , Pages 137-144 , November 2009

Article Tools