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Urgent care in the community: an observational study
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Urgent care in the community: an observational study

John Adie, Wayne Graham, Kerron Bromfield, Bianca Maiden, Sam Klaer and Marianne Wallis
Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol.35(8), pp.949-963
13/10/2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-09-2020-0364
PMID: 34013684
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Urgent care in the community: an observational studyView
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Abstract

Integrated primary care Urgent care After-hours general practice Super clinic Emergency department avoidance General practice Health and community services Primary care
Purpose- This case study describes a community-based urgent care clinic in a general practitioner (GP) super clinic in South East Queensland. Design/methodology/approach- This retrospective chart audit describes patient demographic characteristics, types of presentations and management for Sundays in 2015. Findings- The majority of patients (97%) did not require admission to hospital or office investigations (95%) and presented with one condition (94%). Of the presentations, 66.5% were represented by 30 conditions. Most patients received a prescription (57%), some were referred to the pathology laboratory (15%) and some were referred to radiology (12%). A majority (54%) of patients presented in the first three hours. Approximately half (51%) of patients presenting were aged under 25. More females (53%) presented than males. A majority (53%) lived in the same postcode as the clinic. The three most common office tests ordered were urinalysis, electrocardiogram (ECG) and urine pregnancy test. Some patients (19%) needed procedures, and only 3% were referred to hospital. Research limitations/implications- The study offers analysis of the client group that can be served by an urgent care clinic in a GP super clinic on a Sunday. The study provides an option for emergency department avoidance. Originality/value- Despite calls for more research into community-based urgent care clinics, little is known in Australia about what constitutes an urgent care clinic. The study proposes a classification system for walk-in presentations to an urgent care clinic, which is comparable to emergency department presentations.

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