A study of consumer attitudes about health care: the role of the emergency room.

Contrary to the traditional role of the emergency room (ER) as a care source for the treatment of urgent medical needs, it is evident that substantial numbers of people now use the ER for the treatment of nonurgent problems. In this paper, we report on public opinion about the role of the ER, the accessibility of medical care, and factors that prompt the use of the ER rather than other sources of care. The data result from a community survey of households (N = 521) in the area of Rochester, New York, representative of a population of about 580,000 people. The findings, which relate ER utilization to source of payment, use of other sources of care, demographic variables, and consumer attitudes illustrate the rationality of the patient's use of ER facilities and reflect the patient's view of the ER as a place to obtain medical treatment when other sources are not available.