Are there differences in low-acuity emergency department visits between culturally and linguistically diverse migrants and people with English-speaking background: a population-based linkage study of adults over 45.

Abstract

Background: Growing numbers of avoidable low-acuity visits to emergency departments (ED) are a major health policy concern globally and are thought to contribute to ED crowding. This study explores the differences in the utilisation of low-acuity ED visits between culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) migrants and English-speaking background (ESB) population.

Methods: A study based on a cross-sectional survey of individuals aged 45 or over linked to routinely collected ED visit records in New South Wales. We employed a negative binomial regression model to compare the number of yearly low-acuity ED visits between individuals from ESB and CaLD backgrounds after adjusting for relevant health-related and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: We analysed 227 681 individuals with a mean age of 61, two-thirds of whom came from an ESB. Among individuals with a CaLD background, only those born in Australia had comparable rates of low-acuity ED visits as those with an ESB. In contrast, individuals with CaLD backgrounds who were born overseas were significantly less likely to make low-acuity visits to the ED compared with those from an ESB irrespective of year of arrival-for those who had migrated less than 20 years ago (relative risk (RR) 0.72, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.83) and those who migrated more than 20 years ago (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.95).

Conclusion: Foreign-born migrants aged 45 and over from CaLD backgrounds tend to have the lowest rates of low-acuity ED visits, particularly those who migrated more recently indicating low-acuity visits by CaLD patients are unlikely to contribute to ED crowding.