What are the social predictors of accident and emergency attendance in disadvantaged neighbourhoods? Results from a cross-sectional household health survey in the north west of England



Giebel, Clarissa ORCID: 0000-0002-0746-0566, McIntyre, Jason Cameron ORCID: 0000-0002-5601-524X, Daras, Konstantinos ORCID: 0000-0002-4573-4628, Gabbay, Mark ORCID: 0000-0002-0126-8485, Downing, Jennifer ORCID: 0000-0001-7691-1167, Pirmohamed, Munir ORCID: 0000-0002-7534-7266, Walker, Fran, Sawicki, Wojciech, Alfirevic, Ana ORCID: 0000-0002-2801-9817 and Barr, Ben ORCID: 0000-0002-4208-9475
(2019) What are the social predictors of accident and emergency attendance in disadvantaged neighbourhoods? Results from a cross-sectional household health survey in the north west of England. BMJ Open, 9 (1). e022820-.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES:The aim of this study was to identify the most important determinants of accident and emergency (A&E) attendance in disadvantaged areas. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:A total of 3510 residents from 20 disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the North West Coast area in England completed a comprehensive public health survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Participants were asked to complete general background information, as well as information about their physical health, mental health, lifestyle, social issues, housing and environment, work and finances, and healthcare service usage. Only one resident per household could take part in the survey. Poisson regression analysis was employed to assess the predictors of A&E attendance frequency in the previous 12 months. RESULTS:31.6% of the sample reported having attended A&E in the previous 12 months, ranging from 1 to 95 visits. Controlling for demographic and health factors, not being in employment and living in poor quality housing increased the likelihood of attending an A&E service. Service access was also found to be predictive of A&E attendance insofar as there were an additional 18 fewer A&E attendances per 100 population for each kilometre closer a person lived to a general practitioner (GP) practice, and 3 fewer attendances per 100 population for each kilometre further a person lived from an A&E department. CONCLUSIONS:This is one of the first surveys to explore a comprehensive set of socio-economic factors as well as proximity to both GP and A&E services as predictors of A&E attendance in disadvantaged areas. Findings from this study suggest the need to address both socioeconomic issues, such as employment and housing quality, as well as structural issues, such as public transport and access to primary care, to reduce the current burden on A&E departments.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Humans, Health Surveys, Regression Analysis, Cross-Sectional Studies, Residence Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, Adolescent, Adult, Middle Aged, Vulnerable Populations, Emergency Service, Hospital, Primary Health Care, Health Services Accessibility, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, England, Female, Male, Young Adult, General Practice
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 16 Jan 2019 14:31
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 01:06
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022820
Open Access URL: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e022820
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3031382