Use of a hospital emergency service by children and adolescents for primary care.

This study was planned to determine the extent to which the emergency service of a large general hospital in Vancouver was providing a primary medical care function for children and adolescents. The data were collected during 14-day study periods in each season of the year. Medical data and physician urgency rating were obtained on all patients. Demographic and socioeconomic data and data pertaining to patterns of medical care were obtained by interview of a one-third sample.The study identified a group of patients receiving primary medical care for non-urgent and non-traumatic conditions. This group resided close to the hospital and had lower socioeconomic indices than the remainder of the patients.The trend to utilize the emergency department for reasons other than the accident and emergency function was confirmed. These findings will be incorporated in the planning of the New Children's Hospital in Vancouver with the provision of separate facilities for the care of non-urgent attenders.