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General practice patients in the emergency department

Gerard J FitzGerald and Ghasem Toloo
Med J Aust 2013; 198 (11) || doi: 10.5694/mja13.10513
Published online: 17 June 2013

Mostly, it is more appropriate for patients to seek care in the emergency department rather than visit a general practitioner

One of the mysteries of public policy is that at times the public discourse settles on a perspective that is based on flimsy or even contradictory evidence. One such discussion relates to the factors that contribute to the congestion of hospital emergency departments (EDs) in Australia.

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  • School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD.


Correspondence: gj.fitzgerald@qut.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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  • 3. Toloo S, Rego J, FitzGerald G, et al. Emergency Health Services (EHS): demand and service delivery models. Monograph 2: Queensland EHS users’ profile. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology, 2012. http://eprints.qut.edu. au/55587 (accessed Apr 2013).
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  • 8. Toloo S, FitzGerald G, Aitken P, et al. Ambulance use is associated with higher self-rated illness seriousness: user attitudes and perceptions. Acad Emerg Med 2013. In press.
  • 9. Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. Fact sheet: urban emergency services — ATS 4 and 5 patients. http://www.acem.org.au/media/ats_4_5_factsheet.pdf (accessed May 2013).
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