Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Intervention to decrease emergency department crowding: does it have an effect on return visits and hospital

Sylvie Cardin1, Marc Afilalo, Eddy Lang

  • 1Emergency Department, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Annals of Emergency Medicine
|January 28, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Canadian Emergency Department Research Network: why this matters for Canadian Emergency Medicine.

CJEM·2026
Same author

In acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, high-flow vs. standard oxygen therapy did not reduce mortality at 28 d.

Annals of internal medicine·2026
Same author

Examining emergency department utilisation in people with Crystal Arthropathies: a 10-year analysis of visits in a publicly funded universal healthcare system.

EULAR rheumatology open·2026
Same author

Toward a Quality Standard for Emergency Departments: A Commentary on Improving Mental Health and Substance Use Care for Youth in Canada.

Healthcare quarterly (Toronto, Ont.)·2026
Same author

Paramedic Perspectives on Managing Agitation in Older Adults: A Descriptive Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Survey in Alberta, Canada.

The Journal of emergency medicine·2026
Same author

Unheard Voices: A Systematic Review of the Experiences of Patients With Bipolar Disorder in the Emergency Department.

Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·2026
Same journal

Association Between Time Spent in the Emergency Department and 30-Day Mortality: A Population-Level Observational Study in England.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
Same journal

Do Hospitals Turn Away Ambulances Only When Busy, or When Their Peers Do?

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
Same journal

"It's Just So Important to Make Them Feel Seen": Teen and Caregiver Perspectives of Lethal Means Safety Planning for the Emergency Department.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
Same journal

Hepatitis C Screening Among Persons Experiencing Homelessness in the Emergency Department: A Secondary Analysis of the Determining Effective Testing in Emergency Departments and Care Coordination on Treatment Outcomes (DETECT) for Hepatitis C (Hep C) Screening Trial.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
Same journal

Incidence and Outcomes of Emergency Physician-Performed Awake Intubations: A Report From the Airway Interventions Registry and Observational Database.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
Same journal

Variation in Emergency Department Experience With Pediatric Critical Illness.

Annals of emergency medicine·2026
See all related articles

A hospital intervention to reduce emergency department crowding successfully decreased patient length of stay. This initiative did not lead to an increase in return visits to the emergency department or hospital readmissions.

Area of Science:

  • Healthcare Management
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Hospital Operations

Background:

  • Emergency department (ED) crowding is a significant issue impacting patient care and outcomes.
  • Multifaceted interventions are often implemented to alleviate ED crowding.
  • The effect of such interventions on patient return visits and readmissions requires careful evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the impact of a multifaceted intervention aimed at reducing emergency department crowding.
  • To determine if the intervention influenced the incidence of return visits to the ED or hospital ward within 7 days of discharge.
  • To evaluate the intervention's effect on patient length of stay.

Main Methods:

  • A quasi-experimental design comparing a 12-month pre-intervention period with a 12-month post-intervention period.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data collected on patients discharged from the ED and the hospital, categorizing return visits.
  • Logistic regression used to control for confounders; comparison with external control hospitals.

    • Main Results:

    • The intervention significantly reduced the mean length of stay for ED-discharged patients from 13.8 to 5.9 hours.
    • No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of return visits (all or unscheduled-related) for either ED-discharged or hospital-discharged patients post-intervention.
    • The pattern of return visits remained consistent across the study hospital and two control hospitals.

    Conclusions:

    • The multifaceted intervention effectively decreased ED crowding by reducing patient length of stay.
    • The intervention did not result in an increase in return visits to the ED or hospital readmissions.
    • This study demonstrates that interventions to reduce ED crowding can be implemented without compromising patient safety regarding return visits.