Table 3:

Health Service Use-Qualitative Outcomes: Interview Themes from the Patient’s Perspective

Health Service Use	Interview Themes	Patient Perspective
Return ED Visits	Patients confident they will get needed care in the ED	When he went in through the back in the ambulance, they gave him quick service. They immediately got the doctor in there to get him a CT scan done. (2–172) I told that doctor [in the ED]. I said, “Something’s wrong, something’s happening.” He said, “Your blood pressure’s gotten too low. We’ll get it back up.” And I’m thinking, “Dadgum, what if that would’ve happened at home?” You know, the blood pressure drop like that… So that’s why I’d go to the hospital instead. I mean, but if I got a cold, like if this cold don’t get no better, I’ll probably go to [primary care doctor.] (2–50) They do a chest x-ray, take blood work. Then the doctor comes in. If they want an X-ray, they’ll take an x-ray. (1–053)
	Provider recommends patient go to the ED	Actually I believe if I did get him [the primary care doctor] on the phone, they’re going to say, “Well, how bad is it?” I’m going to tell him. Give him a number, between zero and ten, how bad is it, and they’re eventually going to come up with, “Well, you need to go to emergency.” (1S-06) Actually, we went to him before we went to the emergency room. We saw him, and he said, “Go on to the emergency room.” (1S-086)
Outpatient Visits	Barriers to Outpatient Care Difficulty getting an outpatient appointment	Most of the time before if she [primary care provider] wasn’t available I’d see the other doctors there I like. Well, she said she didn’t want that. I am to call and tell them to check with her to overbook her so she can see me. Now, like this week she’s off. (1–321) It was at night, and then, plus, a primary care doctor, I’d have to make an appointment, and it take, like, two weeks. (1S-162)
Hospital Admission Upon ED Return Visit	Role of coach in supporting patient after ED discharge	I feel like it’s good to have somebody [e.g. a coach] some things that the doctor says, you don’t understand, because they talk in doctor terms. Sometimes, they write out a prescription, you don’t understand what the prescription is. (2S-13) The fact that someone cared enough to come follow-up after a few days, after the dust had settled to see how I felt, to see whether I’m having any further problems with it, and what more did we need to do. And that was the question from her, “What more do we need to do?” I found that gratifying and comforting, very comforting. (1–314)

CT indicates computed tomography; ED indicates emergency department