Journal
PAEDIATRICS & CHILD HEALTH
Volume 12, Issue 6, Pages 491-494Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/pch/12.6.491
Keywords
emergency department overcrowding; emergency paediatrics
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Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has been an international phenomenon for more than 10 years. It is important to understand that ED overcrowding is a measure of health system efficiency and is not strictly related to ED volumes or capacity. ED overcrowding is defined as a situation in which the demand for emergency services exceeds the ability of physicians and nurses to provide quality care within a reasonable time. The major factor resulting in ED overcrowding is the presence of admitted patients in the ED for prolonged periods of time, not a high volume of low-acuity patients. While limited data are available for paediatric EDs, winter respiratory illnesses set the stage for ED overcrowding, which are epidemic in adult or general EDs. Prehospital l ED, and hospital-related factors are described in the present article, and these may help prevent or manage this important patient safety problem.
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