| Social interactions are significant to a myriad of phenomena. With regard to help-seeking behaviors, patients often consult with family, friends, and others for advice prior to seeking formal care. Yet, many of the illness behavior and health care utilization models do not adequately address the underlying social processes in which individuals engage prior to and during illness episodes. Furthermore, recent attention has been placed on the escalating number of individuals who use the emergency department (ED), particularly for non-urgent medical conditions. Due to structural, financial, and social barriers, many ethnic groups and low-income individuals use the ED for health problems that could have safely been seen in a primary care setting. These issues provide a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of how patients respond to an illness, and the factors associated with the related patterns of use.; A recently developed sociological model was the guiding framework for the current research in which survey data from individuals who visited one of four participating EDs in New York City was utilized to examine (1) the strategies of care in which individuals engage prior to seeking ED care and the related predictors of help-seeking patterns, and (2) the factors associated with avoidable visits.; The findings from the study indicated that different factors were associated with varying group structures. Social factors and organizational constraints were associated with informal contact prior to seeking institutional care, while illness episode characteristics predicted formal uses of health care. In addition, controlling for all other variables, duration of illness was one of the main predictors of avoidable ED visits. Having greater knowledge of the different factors that are associated with informal and formal networks, and the diverse roles social groups play in help-seeking behaviors furthers our understanding of the underlying processes of health and illness behaviors. Furthermore, how patients approach the ED for non-urgent medical problems provides valuable information for the development and implementation of effective policy initiatives. |
