THE USE OF HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS FOR NONURGENT HEALTH-PROBLEMS - A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The use of the hospital emergency department (ED) for nonurgent health problems has been a subject of considerable controversy, in part beca use there is no widely accepted definition of ''nonurgent.'' Eliminati on or substantial reduction in nonurgent ED use is frequently offered as a strategy for reducing health expenditures. Previous studies, ofte n limited to individual hospitals or communities, have limited general izability and do not permit examination of multiple factors likely to influence nonurgent ED utilization or examination of ED use for nonurg ent problems in the context of overall outpatient utilization. This an alysis of the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) provides a nationally representative examination of nonurgent ED utilization t hat describes the frequency of ED use for nonurgent problems, characte ristics of individuals that are associated with an increased likelihoo d of nonurgent ED use, the use of other outpatient physician services, and expenditures associated with nonurgent ED visits.