Emergency department visits for minor conditions | Health Quality Alberta Focus

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Emergency department visits for minor conditions

Number of emergency department visits per 1,000 patients for a minor condition that is unlikely to need hospital admission for treatment. (see data definition)

*Data courtesy of Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health. Please note: Results for the Borealis PCN are not currently available due to data quality issues caused when Saddle Hills and Peace Region PCNs merged to form the Borealis PCN.  Health Quality Albertais working to get an updated dataset and will publish results from Borealis PCN as soon as possible.

What do you see?

  • How do Emergency Department (ED) visit rates for minor conditions differ between the mainly urban zones or Primary Care Network (PCNs) (Calgary and Edmonton) compared to more rural zones or PCNs (North, Central, South)? What might account for these differences?
  • How do ED visit rates for minor conditions differ for patients who see one primary care provider for most of their visits (i.e., ‘high continuity’) compared to patients who see multiple family providers (i.e., ‘low continuity’)?
  • Are ED visit rates for minor conditions changing over time? What might account for this?

Why is it meaningful?

  • Is there a relationship between this data and another healthcare area?
  • Do you see successes worth highlighting or opportunities for improvement?

Understanding emergency department visits for minor conditions

This chart is intended to reflect both access to primary care services and choices that patients make about where to seek medical care on short notice. Ideally, Albertans should be able to get treatment for these minor conditions at their family doctor’s office on short notice without going to the emergency department (ED).

A minor condition includes patients who presented with an ED triage score of CTAS 4 (less urgent) or 5 (non-urgent) and were discharged with a diagnosis that is considered to be potentially treatable by a family doctor.

Primary care options for treatment on short notice include:

  • Treatment by the patient’s primary care provider.
  • Treatment by another provider or team member in the clinic.
  • Treatment by another primary care provider in an after-hours clinic. Some communities have after-hours clinics that offer access to a provider in the evenings (5 p.m. to 9 p.m.), on weekends and holidays.
  • Treatment by another primary care provider in a walk-in clinic.
  • Treatment advice from the Health Link telephone health information service (811). Health Link staff can help patients decide whether self-treatment is possible, if they should see their provider or another provider in an after-hours or walk-in clinic, or if they should go to an ED. Health Link is a free service that can be accessed across the province by all Albertans.

When patients seek medical care with another primary care provider outside of their usual clinic, it is possible that information about these visits may not be shared with their own provider. Making sure the patient’s primary care provider has a complete record of the patient’s care is very important.

Considerations when viewing the results

  • A goal of primary care is to look for ways to lower Emergency Department (ED) visit rates for minor conditions. This can help improve the patient experience, reduce the costs related to ED overuse, and reduce overall wait times.
  • ED visit rates for minor conditions tend to be higher in Primary Care Networks (PCNs) that are mainly rural compared to PCNs in cities. Family doctors in small communities often work in the ED and may ask patients to visit them in the ED. Patients in these small communities may also choose to visit the ED to see their doctor. This strengthens the rapport between patient and doctor. The ED may be the only option for after-hours care in these communities.