Two emergency departments, 6000km apart: Differences in patient flow and staff perceptions about crowding

One of the most critical issues affecting emergency department (ED) delivery of care worldwide is crowding [1]. ED crowding is defined as a state where care demands exceed available resources, resulting in long waits for tests and treatments [2 –4]. Crowding is a major barrier to receiving timely emergency care and it contributes to poor quality care, such as prolonged waiting times, increased suffering for those in pain, poor clinical outcomes, delays in treatment and increased risks of adverse outcomes [5–10].

Source: International Emergency Nursing - June 8, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: M. Christien Van Der Linden, Munawar Khursheed, Khairunnissa Hooda, Jesse M. Pines, Naomi Van Der Linden Source Type: research