# Striving to make the right decision when seeking emergency care: patients’ stories of navigating support alternatives in a digital society, a qualitative study

## TL;DR

This study explores how patients decide to seek emergency care, highlighting the role of human and digital support in their decision-making process.

## Contribution

The study introduces a qualitative understanding of how digital health support influences patients' decisions to seek emergency care.

## Key findings

- Patients rely on both human and digital support when deciding to seek emergency care.
- Digital health support offers opportunities but also presents barriers for patients.
- Including end users in the development of digital health solutions could improve their effectiveness.

## Abstract

Healthcare systems struggle with an imbalance between the required resources and existing demand. The number of patients seeking emergency care has increased steadily, placing additional strain on emergency departments, which are also challenged by a high volume of non-urgent visits. When patients perceive a need to seek emergency care, the decision is influenced by various factors, including the availability and quality of support and the information they use to make informed decisions. Digital health support encompasses a range of technologies designed to assist at various stages of the healthcare continuum. They are intended to support patients and personnel, as well as effective resource utilization in healthcare. More knowledge is needed to understand the factors involved when patients decide to seek emergency care, and how digital health support can be introduced to benefit both patients and personnel. This study aims to identify and understand important factors that influence patients’ decisions when seeking emergency care, focusing on the information they gather and various sources of support, especially digital health support.

This qualitative interview study included 31 participants seeking care at an emergency department in western Sweden. The data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.

The analysis resulted in four themes: (1) human support needed; (2) going back and forth about making the right decision; (3) digital reassurance; and (4) digital support with hesitation. The participants based their decisions on various forms of information and support. Patients who used digital health support reported mixed experiences, describing both opportunities and barriers. Some patients mentioned expectations for future digital solutions, mainly expressing a desire to preserve human contact.

Patients strive to make the right decision about whether, when, and where to seek care in perceived urgent situations. In this decision-making process, patients use human and digital support for guidance and to facilitate their decision. However, navigating the healthcare system is challenging for patients, and digital health support provides both enabling opportunities and several obstacles. The results of this study indicate that further development of digital health support for patients seeking emergency care would benefit if end users were included in the co-creating process.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12873-026-01505-y.