we attempted to estimate the perceived degree of urgency of the visit and to identify reasons for seeking non - urgent care in the ped by patients and parents .
a prospective survey was completed by parents ( for children 17 and younger ) and patients ( 18 - 21 ) presenting to a suburban academic ped that sees approximately 15,000 patients per year .
three hundred and five of 334 surveys were completed ( 91% response rate ) over a 3-month period .
twenty - four percent of the chief complaints were perceived by those surveyed as emergent or possibly life - threatening , 23% were felt to be very urgent , and 52% were deemed somewhat urgent or minor .
twenty - five percent of those with minor or somewhat urgent complaints arrived by ambulance .
overall , 79% of those surveyed identified a primary care provider ( pcp ) for themselves or their child .
of those , 54% had attempted to contact the pcp prior to coming to the ped .
six percent of those who attempted to reach their primary care providers were able to contact them and 52% were told to come to the ped .
more than half of patients and parents presenting to the ped believed they had minor or somewhat urgent complaints .
while the majority of patients have a regular provider , limited access to timely primary care and convenience may make the ped a more attractive care option than primary care for many parents and patients .
 objectives : pediatric emergency department ( ped ) patients often present with non - urgent complaints . 
 we attempted to estimate the perceived degree of urgency of the visit and to identify reasons for seeking non - urgent care in the ped by patients and parents.methods:a prospective survey was completed by parents ( for children 17 and younger ) and patients ( 18 - 21 ) presenting to a suburban academic ped that sees approximately 15,000 patients per year . 
 a convenience sample of participants was enrolled.results:three hundred and five of 334 surveys were completed ( 91% response rate ) over a 3-month period . 
 twenty - four percent of the chief complaints were perceived by those surveyed as emergent or possibly life - threatening , 23% were felt to be very urgent , and 52% were deemed somewhat urgent or minor . 
 twenty - five percent of those with minor or somewhat urgent complaints arrived by ambulance . 
 weekend visits and minority race correlated with a lower degree of perceived urgency . 
 overall , 79% of those surveyed identified a primary care provider ( pcp ) for themselves or their child . 
 of those , 54% had attempted to contact the pcp prior to coming to the ped . 
 six percent of those who attempted to reach their primary care providers were able to contact them and 52% were told to come to the ped.conclusions:more than half of patients and parents presenting to the ped believed they had minor or somewhat urgent complaints . while the majority of patients have a regular provider , limited access to timely primary care and convenience may make the ped a more attractive care option than primary care for many parents and patients . 
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