A study of sense-making strategies and help-seeking behaviours associated with the use and provision of urgent care services

Turnbull J, McKenna G, Prichard J, Rogers A, Crouch R, Lennon A, Pope C
Record ID 32015001181
English
Authors' objectives: Urgent care includes a range of services (e.g. out-of-hours, walk-in centres, NHS 111) that have been designed to improve access and manage rising service demand. These services are also closely linked with emergency care (e.g. 999 ambulance services and emergency departments). Patients with a perceived urgent care need are required to navigate and access a complex system of urgent and emergency care. Recent national and local health policy has attempted to reduce unnecessary emergency department attendances by providing more responsive urgent care service, help guide patients to get the right advice in the right place, first time', and provide better support for people to self-care. However, effective service provision requires a much deeper understanding of the factors that influence patients help-seeking and choices. This project seeks to address the gaps in this evidence base to inform commissioners, providers and policy decision makers. Insight into patients' knowledge and understanding is essential as it will influence their attitudes towards, and use of, these services. Rigorous evidence is needed to optimise urgent care provision and improve care so that patients experience the right service, at the right time . We will investigate what patients think and feel about urgent care services, and how and why they use them. This will allow us to develop a conceptual model to explain patient choices, decisions and behaviour in relation to urgent care. This will be done using a mixed methods sequential design consisting of 3 work packages (WP): literature review and two citizens' panels (WP1); serial qualitative interviews (WP2); and an integrative analysis and conceptual model of urgent care use (WP3).
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: http://www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/hsdr/141916
Year Published: 2019
URL for published report: http://www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/hsdr/141916
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Evaluation Study
  • Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
  • Health Services Accessibility
  • Patient Preference
  • Primary Health Care
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
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