Incidence of 24-hour faculty coverage in teaching EDs

There is growing concern in academic emergency medicine as to the appropriateness of 24-hour faculty coverage in the teaching emergency department. We surveyed 170 teaching emergency departments, 49 of which had approved emergency medicine residencies, asking for information regarding 24-hour faculty coverage. We were able to separate each department into one of 15 profiles based on the two variables of average ED yearly census and hospital type. Seventy-three percent of university teaching hospital EDs and 65% of those with emergency medicine residencies have 24-hour faculty coverage; 83% of private teaching hospital EDs and 100% of those with emergency medicine residencies have 24-hour faculty coverage; and 79% of city/county teaching hospital EDs and 80% of those with emergency medicine residencies have 24-hour faculty coverage.