A 'honey pot effect' has caused a spike in emergency presentations at the new Royal Adelaide hospital.
The abnormal number of walk-ins is likely the result of people wanting to be admitted to the new hospital rather than seek usual care, Royal Adelaide Hospital executive director Paul Lambert says.
The new $2.4 billion facility was particularly busy on Wednesday evening.
"We were able to clear most of those ambulances and make sure those patients were well cared for by about one o'clock this morning," Mr Lambert said.
He says public hospitals treat the sickest patients first and those with lower category ailments can be better served at their GP or even a pharmacy.
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Health Minister Jack Snelling admitted there seemed to be a 'honey pot effect' going on with some people presenting at the new hospital partly to check it out.
He also urged the public to seek more necessary forms of treatment.
"Please consider your other options, don't let an emergency department be your default," Mr Snelling said.
Hundreds of additional staff are being used at the new hospital until they're familiarised with the site and systems.
"I ask South Australians please be patient," Mr Snelling said.
"The new hospital works very differently compared to this old hospital and those new models need time to bed-down."
