Profile of attendance at a maternity hospital emergency room

Background Direct presentations to secondary care that could have been mana ged in primary care have been the subject of much study. Social factors may influence the decision to present directly to secondary care services. Aim To determine the profile and primary care service use of patients atten ding a maternity hospital emergency room (ER). Methods A self-administered, questionnaire based, cross-sectional study was performed over a period of one month. Results Of 350 patients attending the ER, 343 (98%) completed a questionnai re, Mean age of patients attending was 28 years (range 16-65). Thirty seven per cent were eligible for free medical care and 39% belonged to socio-eco nomic group six. Fifty nine per cent attended outside normal hours, 31% had a female general practitioner (GP) and 38% were referred by a GP to the ER . Twenty eight per cent had seen their GP in the previous three days, 31% h ad consulted a GP with their current problem and 58% felt "comfortable" or "very comfortable" attending their GP with a gynaecological complaint. Conclusions This study indicates that the service is responsible for a cons iderable workload, with a low level of use of primary care services by thos e attending.