Shortening the Wait: A Strategy to Reduce Waiting Times in the Emergency Department

Emergency department ‘undercrowding’ is associated with decreased waiting times

“…Perhaps because it has been seen as difficult to control, there is less reported on demand side measures to reduce overcrowding. Non‐urgent patient diversion, either at presentation or prior to presentation, along with ambulance diversion are among reported initiatives aiming to decrease the number of patients presenting to EDs, with varying levels of success …”

Decisions to Transfer Nursing Home Residents to Emergency Departments: A Scoping Review of Contributing Factors and Staff Perspectives

“…ED crowding due to inadequate resources to meet patient volume demands is a well-described phenomenon in the literature. 5,6 Although the NH resident population represents a very small proportion of that volume, 0.4% to 2.4%, 7 the risk involved with transferring physically frail, often cognitively impaired older adults into the ED environment is high. The iatrogenic effects of ED transfers on NH residents indicate morbidity and mortality significantly increases due to loss of functional abilities and emotional distress.…”

Does Intradisciplinary Conflict Influence to Outcomes of Emergency Medicine Residency Program? A Mixed Methods Study

“…A research carried out by Zare Mehrjardi and colleagues, the use of an EMS after triage to reach a quick diagnosis or speed up the required diagnostic procedures in the early stages of the process was recommended [28]. A factor that has been found to increase the waiting time is the time of access to diagnostic services [29]. Therefore, the present study has also investigated the inter-ward relationship between ED, laboratory and radiology.…”