Document Detail


Access to emergency care in the United States.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19201059     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Rapid access to emergency services is essential for emergency care-sensitive conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, sepsis, and major trauma. We seek to determine US population access to an emergency department (ED).
METHODS: The National Emergency Department Inventories-USA was used to identify the location, annual visit volume, and teaching status of all EDs in the United States. EDs were categorized as any ED, by patient volume, and by teaching status. Driving distances, driving speeds, and out-of-hospital times were estimated with validated models and adjusted for population density. Access was determined by summing the population that could reach an ED within the specified intervals.
RESULTS: Overall, 71% of the US population has access to an ED within 30 minutes, and 98% has access within 60 minutes. Access to teaching hospitals was more limited, with 16% having access within 30 minutes and 44% within 60 minutes. Rural states had lower access to all types of EDs.
CONCLUSION: Although the majority of the US population has access to an ED, there are regional disparities in ED access, especially by rurality. Future efforts should measure the relationship between access to emergency services and outcomes for emergency care-sensitive conditions. The development of a regionalized emergency care delivery system should be explored.
Authors:
Brendan G Carr; Charles C Branas; Joshua P Metlay; Ashley F Sullivan; Carlos A Camargo
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2009-02-07
Journal Detail:
Title:  Annals of emergency medicine     Volume:  54     ISSN:  1097-6760     ISO Abbreviation:  Ann Emerg Med     Publication Date:  2009 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-07-20     Completed Date:  2009-08-11     Revised Date:  2011-09-26    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8002646     Medline TA:  Ann Emerg Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  261-9     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Carrb@upenn.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Emergency Service, Hospital / utilization*
Health Services Accessibility*
Health Services Research
Hospitals, Teaching
Humans
Residence Characteristics
Time Factors
Travel
United States
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
R21 LM008700-01A2/LM/NLM NIH HHS; R21 LM008700-02/LM/NLM NIH HHS; R21LM008700/LM/NLM NIH HHS
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Ann Emerg Med. 2009 Aug;54(2):270-1   [PMID:  19201063 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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