The changing role of the emergency department in the Northern Territory: a Delphi study

To explore the changing role of EDs in Northern Territory hospitals.

A two-round Delphi study was undertaken by recruiting a panel of health professionals from the EDs of the five Northern Territory public hospitals. Participants in round one were asked to list changes they have encountered and how these changes have affected health service delivery, as well as five factors that were responsible for the changes. During the second round they prioritized the factors identified in order of importance.

Twenty-four ED staff returned their questionnaire. Global changes identified were more verbal/physical abuse from patients, followed by increase in acuity of patient presentations. The most important factor perceived as responsible for the changes was budget cuts, resulting in fewer inpatient beds, an increase in access block and sicker patients being discharged too early.

The Delphi evaluation provided insights into the problems facing the ED from the staff perspective and offered some suggestions to deal with the emerging issues.