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Waiting in the emergency department

J H Havill1, S Van Alphen, S Fairweather

  • 1Emergency Department, Waikato Hospital.

The New Zealand Medical Journal
|May 10, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Thirty-seven percent of emergency department patients experienced extended wait times. Delays were often due to staffing, testing, or treatment, with many patients unaware of the reasons for their wait.

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Area of Science:

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Healthcare Operations

Background:

  • Emergency departments (EDs) face challenges managing patient flow and wait times.
  • Understanding patient experiences regarding wait times is crucial for improving care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate emergency department (ED) waiting times.
  • To identify primary reasons for patient delays.
  • To assess patient comprehension of these delays.

Main Methods:

  • Collected data on ED patients over a 7-week period.
  • Focused analysis on patients exceeding 30 minutes in the waiting room or 2 hours total ED time.
  • Recorded reasons for delays and surveyed patient awareness.

Main Results:

  • 37% of patients experienced extended waits (average 175 minutes).
  • Key delay factors included physician availability (42%), diagnostic tests (16%), and treatment duration (12%).
  • Only 47% of patients understood the reasons for their wait.

Conclusions:

  • While some extended waiting is unavoidable, unnecessary delays are prevalent.
  • Improving facilities, staff deployment, and streamlining testing can reduce delays.
  • Increased observation wards and specialist treatments will impact ED wait times, necessitating clear public communication.

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