Contributing Factors of Frequent Use of the Emergency Department: A Synthesis

In 1976, James Mannon published a research article in which he discussed the definition and treatment of what he termed as ‘problem patients’ in the emergency department (ED) of a hospital located in the Midwestern United States (US) (Mannon, 1976). Within this article, he refers to a group of patients as ‘regulars’, defining these patients based upon the staff’s description as those who visited the ED multipl e times during a given week (Mannon, 1976). He goes on to state that some communities had ED’s that were understaffed and underdeveloped and this, coupled with the influx of regulars, could cause conflicting and increasing demands (Mannon, 1976).

Source: International Emergency Nursing - June 5, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Timothy R. Burns Source Type: research