Abstract BACKGROUND: The utilization of the Emergency Department (ED) for non-urgent care poses a major problem to the healthcare system. The objective of the study was to assess non-urgent visits to ED and determine the factors influencing non-urgent visits to the ED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a secondary level hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from October 2024 to February 2025. Study included 412 Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) IV and V patients. Data was collected by interviewing the patients or their relative using a validated structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 29; categorical data was presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate, was used to determine association between non-urgent ED visit and various factors. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of non-urgent ED visits. RESULTS: Majority of the patients were Saudis (85.0%), more than half (55.8%) were female, and more than one-third (38.1%) were aged 20-34 years. Common presenting complaints included abdominal pain (20.9%), cold/flu symptoms (10.4%), and back/leg pain (8.7%); Most patients (46.8%) reported symptoms lasting 0.05). Accessibility (43.4%) and perceived urgency (41.0%) were key drivers for the preference of the ED to primary care. CONCLUSION: The study highlights key factors that influence non-urgent visits, with accessibility and perceived urgency being the primary drivers. Findings highlight the need to improve primary healthcare access and triage awareness to reduce unnecessary ED visits.
Alahmadi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.