Do patients really need to go the ER?病患真的有需要到急診就醫嗎?--美國急診就醫現況

Eighty-five percent of Americans who have been to the emergency department said theycouldn't wait to see their regular medical provider, according to a recent Harris poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

根據美國急診醫師學院的最新Harris民意調查，有85%的美國人表示他們曾經無法等待常規的醫療服務而到急診室看診"

The poll results show that emergency departments are filled with patients who feel they need to be there," the ACEP statement said. "People are coming because they need care and if they have a non-urgent condition, such as a bladder infection, it's because they have no place else to go and the problem feels like an emergency to them."

美國急診醫師學院聲明指出，根據民意調查的結果指出急診部門都充滿著自以為需要到急診的病人。病人們會來因為是他們需要被治療，假如他們沒有緊急的狀況，像是膀胱感染，會出現在急診室是因為他們沒地方可去，或是病人們認為這是緊急狀況

Why are patients going to the ED? It may be because their primary care provider sent them there.

為什麼患者要去急診室?這可能是因為他們的主要醫療照護提供者送他們去的。

Despite efforts to curb nonurgent and unnecessary use, one in five patients (20.1 percent) who went to the ED and weren't admitted said it was because their primary care provider sent them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

根據疾病管制局的報告，儘管努力控制不緊急和不必要的使用，但在五個人裡就有一位到急診病人不想承認是因為他們主要醫療照護提供者送他們去的。

Either they see the patient, and say, this is beyond what I can do in my private office, with limited resources, or they talk to the patient on the phone and say I'm concerned about your symptoms," Andrew Sama, president-elect of the ACEP, told HealthLeaders Media about provider referral. "Or they know the patient has complex problems with subtle symptoms that can mean grievous issues, and they send them to us because we can do the diagnostic testing rapidly, or call on a colleague or specialist to get more detail."

安德魯.薩瑪是美國緊急醫師學院會長，告訴醫療媒體關於提供轉介的原因，”他們告訴病人這是超過我個人所能提供的有限資源範圍，或他們會在電話裡跟病人講說我很關注你的症狀””或者他們知道病人合併隱藏有複雜的問題症狀時，那意味著有嚴重的問題，而他們就會轉介給我們，因為我們可以快速的做診斷檢查，或者請教同事或是專家，以獲得更詳細的資訊。

Using data from January to June 2011 from the National Health Interview Survey, the CDC found that emergency room visits resulted from a lack of access to care, with nearly 80 percent of adults who visited the ER reporting they didn't have access to other providers, about half (48 percent) reported that they went to the ER because the doctor's office was closed, and 46.3 percent said there was no other place to go. Some (45.8 percent) said they went to the ER because it was the closest provider.

2011年1月到6月的全國健康訪談調查的統計數據，疾病管制局發現病人會到急診室原因為缺乏近距離的醫療照顧，近80%的受訪者指出他們沒有到其它較近的醫療照顧者。大約一半(百分之48)的人會去急診室是因為他們醫師門診關閉，百分之46.3的受訪者表示沒有地方可以去，百分之45.8的一些受訪者表示他們會來是因為急診室是他們能得到的最近的照護者。

Sixty-six percent headed to the ER because of the seriousness of the medical problem, with 54.5 percent saying that only the hospital could help them, according to the CDC.

根據衛生署疾管局，有60%的人前往去急診室的原因是有嚴重的醫療問題，而有54.5%的人說只有醫院才可能幫助他們

The CDC data follows this month's report conducted by HealthLeaders Media, in which

hospitals are reporting that patients often view the ED as their only option. Almost half of

healthcare leaders say their ED is overcrowded, and 51 percent of those worry it will

jeopardize patient safety.

疾病管制局根據這個月的數據是的醫療相關媒體進行醫院報告指出，病人往往將急診室視為唯一的選擇，導致有一半的醫護人員說在急診的病人太多了，有51%會擔心這樣的狀況會危害到病患安全。

As a result, hospitals are using urgent care facilities, creating freestanding EDs or opening up after-hours clinics to better utilize emergency services

如同結果，醫院正在使用的緊急醫療措施，建立獨立的急診室或開夜間診所，以使緊急醫療服務得到較佳使用狀態。