Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Published on: January 29, 2011
Patients who leave emergency departments without being seen: literature review and English data analysis
1Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK. m.w.cooke@warwick.ac.uk
Objectives:
The purpose of this review was to determine the rate of those that leave the emergency department (ED) without being seen and their reasons, to clarify if such behaviour poses a health risk, to analyse the impact initiatives have made on the leave without being seen (LWBS) rate, and to discuss the implications of using it as a national performance indicator within the NHS.
Methods:
A combination of data sources was reviewed: a 'realistic' literature review, analysis of hospital episode statistics data from England and a local NHS trust audit.
Major Findings:
LWBS rates vary across the world, from 15% to 0.36%. Also initiatives to reduce LWBS rates demonstrated mixed outcomes, with reductions in the rate by as much as 96%, while others were ineffective. The most common reason quoted for LWBS was long waiting times and there were few data to suggest LWBS posed a risk to patient health.
Conclusions:
LWBS is an issue experienced in many countries that has responded in a varying manner to many initiatives in attempts to reduce it; however, it is clearly associated with the waiting times experienced in ED and therefore working within a packet of performance measures it would assess the effect of waiting times from another perspective.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
Methods of Documentation VII: EMR
Data Reporting and Recording
Methods of Documentation V: CBE
In CBE, healthcare professionals establish predefined standards of practice that define what constitutes...
Documentation of Nursing Diagnosis
In some settings, data-driven computerized decision support systems are in place, allowing for more accurate nursing diagnoses. The database within one of these systems includes diagnostic labels defining characteristics, activities, and indicators for nursing. A nurse enters assessment...
Types of Reports III: Telephone and Verbal Reports
Here's an overview of each type:
Telephone Orders