Health Seeking in the Emergency Department
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying the key determinants of health-seeking behaviour in patients presenting to an emergency department with conditions more appropriate for management in primary care settings.
IRAS ID
163942
Contact name
Margaret Watson
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Recent estimates suggest that around 5% of consultations in the Emergency Department are for minor ailments that could be managed elsewhere e.g. community pharmacies. There is an urgent need to shift demand for the management of non-urgent or minor ailments away from EDs. To achieve this, evidence is needed regarding the key determinants of patients’ health seeking behaviour for these consultations in this setting. No previous studies have used a theory-based approach to explore this type of health-seeking behaviour. The adoption of a theory-based approach will increase the likelihood of identifying key, modifiable, determinants of this behaviour, which will facilitate the development of behaviour change strategies to target these determinants.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1411
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion