Emerg Med Australas. 2025 Oct;37(5):e70135. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.70135.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify presentations to the Alice Springs Emergency Department that could be managed in an Urgent Care Centre (UCC).
METHODS: We reviewed 1 year of ED presentation data at Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) from August 2022 to August 2023 and used a sequence of exclusion criteria to identify patients most likely to be eligible for UCC management.
RESULTS: Our model indicated that 35.0% of ED presentations at ASH during this period could have been managed in a UCC. Only 41.5% of these presentations (14.5% of total presentations) occurred during UCC operating hours.
CONCLUSIONS: According to this model, a significant proportion of ED presentations could potentially be managed in a UCC, although a large proportion of these occurred outside of UCC opening hours. The impact of the introduction of a UCC into a remote community on ED presentations, patient experience, patient outcomes and the broader system requires further study.
PMID:40923149 | DOI:10.1111/1742-6723.70135