@article{ref1,
title="Ambulance diversion is not associated with low acuity patients attending Perth metropolitan emergency departments",
journal="Emergency medicine Australasia",
year="2005",
author="Sprivulis, Peter C. and Grainger, Stephen and Nagree, Yusuf",
volume="17",
number="1",
pages="11-15",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between ambulance diversion and low acuity patient (LAP) attendances to EDs. METHODS: Comparison of LAP attendance rates at inner metropolitan EDs and outer metropolitan EDs using a previously validated methodology. RESULTS: The percentage of LAP attendances was lower at inner metropolitan EDs (11.4%, 95% CI 11.3-11.6) compared to outer metropolitan hospitals (22.9%, 95% CI 22.6-23.2, P < 0.001). The proportion of LAP attendances was slightly higher at both inner and outer metropolitan hospitals after-hours compared to working hours. Average daily LAP attendances per inner metropolitan hospital (13.4 attendances, 95% CI 13.2-13.6) which averaged 89.2 min of diversion daily (95% CI 88.7-89.7) were lower than at outer metropolitan hospitals (19.3 attendances, 95% CI 19.0-19.6, P < 0.001), which averaged 12.4 min of diversion daily (95% CI 12.1-12.5, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Inner metropolitan hospitals experience low LAP attendance rates. Attempts to further reduce LAP attendance rates at Perth inner metropolitan hospitals have limited scope to reduce ambulance diversion.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1742-6731",
doi="10.1111/j.1742-6723.2005.00686.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-6723.2005.00686.x"
}