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Operations & systems
Who makes non-urgent ED visits
Non-urgent emergency department utilization in adults: a systematic review of associated factors across diverse health systems
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine · Added 18 August 2026
Systematic review of 32 studies across 21 countries identified factors associated with non-urgent ED utilisation, with frequent prior ED visits (aOR up to 82) and patient perception of non-serious illness (aOR up to 21) being the strongest predictors
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Design
- Systematic review of cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies
- Participants
- 32 studies, 21 countries
- Main finding
- Non-urgent visit proportion 1–82.4%; strongest associations with frequent prior ED visits (aOR up to 82.13) and patient perception of non-serious illness (aOR up to 21.03)
- Caveat
- Substantial heterogeneity in definitions of non-urgent visits; narrative synthesis only
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). transferability — Provides operational context for understanding ED utilisation patterns, though in-hospital focus
Learning goal
Understand the patient and system factors that drive non-urgent emergency department presentations in Australian primary care context.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 18 August 2026
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