Summary
In 2015 there were 136.9 million visits to the Emergency Department (ED) in the United States equaling 43.3 visits to the ED per 100 persons for that year. This number represents a substantial increase in ED usage in this country, outpacing population growth. As a result of the increasing number of annual ED visits, the Institute of Medicine described the state of emergency care in the U.S. as “at the breaking point”
Objectives
- Identify the need for research, policy, and practice that incorporates a family- and relational-based understanding of decision-making about emergency department utilization
- Describe a novel survey methodology used to understanding relational decision making in ED and health care utilization
- Discuss the results and implications for assessment and intervention at the practice level, as well as research, and policy focused on health care utilization
