Skip to main content
PMC home page
Canadian Family Physician logoLink to Canadian Family Physician
. 1989 Oct;35:2019–2022.

Walk-in Clinics and Primary Care: Review of the Literature

George B Miller, Stephen Nantes
PMCID: PMC2280919  PMID: 21249079

Abstract

Walk-in clinics have proliferated rapidly in many areas of Canada and the United States. Patients who attend these clinics have illnesses that are similar to those seen in family physicians' offices, yet walk-in patients perceive their symptoms to be more urgent and present at a much earlier stage of their illness than patients who attend their family doctor. Research has not yet proven that the opening of walk-in facilities lowers the demand for traditional primary care services; therefore the cost-effectiveness of walk-in clinics needs further evaluation.

Keywords: family medicine, practice patterns, walk-in clinics

Full text

PDF
2019

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alemagno S. A., Zyzanski S. J., Silko G. J. Urgent care centers: what does "urgent" really mean? Fam Pract Res J. 1986 Fall;6(1):12–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berliner H. S., Burlage R. K. The walk-in chains: the proprietarization of ambulatory care. Int J Health Serv. 1987;17(4):585–594. doi: 10.2190/XVLP-JC8K-PRWL-EMRK. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bice T. W., White K. L. Factors related to the use of health services: an international comparative study. Med Care. 1969 Mar-Apr;7(2):124–133. doi: 10.1097/00005650-196903000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ferber M. S., Becker L. J. Impact of freestanding emergency centers on hospital emergency department use. Ann Emerg Med. 1983 Jul;12(7):429–433. doi: 10.1016/s0196-0644(83)80340-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lutz S. Multi-unit providers survey--ambulatory services. For-profit chains retreat from ambulatory business; not-for-profits slowly fill the void. Mod Healthc. 1988 Jun 3;18(23):74, 76, 78-80. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Miller G. B., Mah Z., Nantes S., Bryant W., Kayler T., McKinnon K. Ontario walk-in clinics: a preliminary descriptive study. Can Fam Physician. 1989 Oct;35:2013–2015. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Moxley J. H., 3rd, Roeder P. C. New opportunities for out-of-hospital health services. N Engl J Med. 1984 Jan 19;310(3):193–197. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198401193100311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Relman A. S. Assessment and accountability: the third revolution in medical care. N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 3;319(18):1220–1222. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198811033191810. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Roper W. L., Winkenwerder W., Hackbarth G. M., Krakauer H. Effectiveness in health care. An initiative to evaluate and improve medical practice. N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 3;319(18):1197–1202. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198811033191805. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rylko-Bauer B. The development and use of freestanding emergency centers: a review of the literature. Med Care Rev. 1988 Spring;45(1):129–163. doi: 10.1177/107755878804500106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schaffer D. J. A survey of Washington state freestanding emergency centers. Ann Emerg Med. 1984 Apr;13(4):259–262. doi: 10.1016/s0196-0644(84)80474-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schneeweiss R., Cherkin D. C., Hart G. L. The effect of including secondary diagnoses on the description of the diagnostic content of family practice. Med Care. 1984 Nov;22(11):1058–1063. doi: 10.1097/00005650-198411000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stratmann W. C., Ullman R. A study of consumer attitudes about health care: the role of the emergency room. Med Care. 1975 Dec;13(12):1033–1043. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197512000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. West K. H. Surgical wound infections: causes and treatment. J Oper Room Res Inst. 1983 Sep;3(9):9, 12-4. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Family Physician are provided here courtesy of College of Family Physicians of Canada

RESOURCES