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Waiting time ambulances in the Emergency Department; a Dutch single center study (WAITED study)
S Mol1, J D G Hageman-van Wamel2, M C Van Der Linden3
1Emergency Department, Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, Kleiweg 500, Rotterdam, 3045 PM, The Netherlands. s.mol3@franciscus.nl.
International Journal of Emergency Medicine
|November 27, 2025
Summary
Ambulance offload delay (AOD) occurred in 7.7% of cases at Dutch emergency departments, with a median delay of 16 minutes. No significant association was found between AOD and the ambulance diversion (AD) traffic light status.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health
Background:
- Ambulance offload delay (AOD) is a key indicator of emergency department (ED) crowding.
- AOD is not currently monitored in Dutch emergency care.
- The relationship between AOD and ambulance diversion (AD) status is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To monitor AOD at Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland (FGV) EDs.
- To investigate the association between AOD and AD status.
- To assess AOD as a potential quality indicator for ED crowding in the Netherlands.
Main Methods:
- A 10-week observational study at two FGV EDs.
- Ambulance personnel completed paper questionnaires on AOD duration and traffic light status.
- Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used for analysis.
Main Results:
- 2,967 ambulance arrivals were recorded; 7.7% met the AOD definition.
- Median AOD was 16 minutes (IQR: 10-25 min).
- No statistically significant association was found between traffic light status and AOD (p=0.109).
Conclusions:
- This is the first study in the Netherlands to collect AOD data.
- Findings are hypothesis-generating due to limitations (short period, self-reported data, single center).
- AOD warrants further multicenter research and may serve as a complementary quality indicator for ED crowding.
