Emergency department overcrowding following systematic hospital restructuring: trends at twenty hospitals over ten years

Total access block time: a comprehensive and intuitive way to measure the total effect of access block on the emergency department

OBJECTIVE

Access block refers to delayed transfer of admitted patients in the ED to wards from lack of an inpatient bed. Existing measures are crude indicators of its impact on ED function. Our aim was to devise measures of the total burden of access block on ED function which better measured the impact on ED function, yet were intuitive and easy to communicate.

METHODS

Current access block measures, reported as percentage of total inpatient admissions, are based upon time intervals and cut points. 'Total access block time' (TABT) is obtained by summing the minutes in excess of 8 h that admitted patients spend in the ED. We describe derivation of TABT with reference to its intuitive comprehensibility and potential to improve understanding and communication of access block issues. Two examples of months with similar traditional measures but different TABT are used to highlight its advantages.

RESULTS

TABT varies over a greater range than traditional measures. High TABT months had higher presentations, higher admissions, more admitted patients with long ED stays and impaired ability to meet triage benchmarks. Differences in these parameters are considered intermediate end-points which reflect the degree of impairment of ED function.

CONCLUSIONS

TABT is a comprehensive, sensitive indicator of total impact of access block on ED function. Unlike current access block measures, TABT is reflective of long-stay ED patients. Descriptive statistics derived from TABT, in terms of effective beds and bed-days lost, will likely improve the communication and comprehension of access block issues.

Growing organizational capacity through a systems approach: one health network's experience

BACKGROUND

Hospitals are reporting unexpected surges in demand for services. Lehigh Valley Hospital challenged its clinical and administrative staff to increase capacity by at least 4% per year using an interdepartmental, systemwide initiative, Growing Organizational Capacity (GOC).

METHODS

Following a systemwide leadership retreat that yielded more than 1,000 ideas, the initiative's principal sponsor convened a cross-functional improvement team. During a two-year period, 17 projects were implemented. Using a complex systems approach, improvement ideas "emerged" from microsystems at the points of care. Through rigorous reporting and testing of process adaptations, need, data, and people drove innovation.

RESULTS

Hundreds of multilevel clinical and administrative staff redesigned processes and roles to increase organizational capacity. Admissions rose by 6.1%, 5.5 %, 8.7%, 5.0%, and 3.8% in fiscal years 2003 through 2007, respectively. Process enhancements cost approximately $1 million, while increased revenues attributable to increased capacity totaled $2.5 million.

DISCUSSION

Multiple, coordinated, and concurrent projects created a greater impact than that possible with a single project. GOC and its success, best explained in the context of complex adaptive systems and microsystem theories, are transferrable to throughput issues that challenge efficiency and effectiveness in other health care systems.

Systematic review of emergency department crowding: causes, effects, and solutions

Emergency department (ED) crowding represents an international crisis that may affect the quality and access of health care. We conducted a comprehensive PubMed search to identify articles that (1) studied causes, effects, or solutions of ED crowding; (2) described data collection and analysis methodology; (3) occurred in a general ED setting; and (4) focused on everyday crowding. Two independent reviewers identified the relevant articles by consensus. We applied a 5-level quality assessment tool to grade the methodology of each study. From 4,271 abstracts and 188 full-text articles, the reviewers identified 93 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A total of 33 articles studied causes, 27 articles studied effects, and 40 articles studied solutions of ED crowding. Commonly studied causes of crowding included nonurgent visits, "frequent-flyer" patients, influenza season, inadequate staffing, inpatient boarding, and hospital bed shortages. Commonly studied effects of crowding included patient mortality, transport delays, treatment delays, ambulance diversion, patient elopement, and financial effect. Commonly studied solutions of crowding included additional personnel, observation units, hospital bed access, nonurgent referrals, ambulance diversion, destination control, crowding measures, and queuing theory. The results illustrated the complex, multifaceted characteristics of the ED crowding problem. Additional high-quality studies may provide valuable contributions toward better understanding and alleviating the daily crisis. This structured overview of the literature may help to identify future directions for the crowding research agenda.

Likelihood of reroute during ambulance diversion periods in central Maryland

OBJECTIVES

To determine the proportion of patients rerouted during ambulance diversion periods and factors associated with reroute.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort design was used to examine reroute practices of prehospital providers in central Maryland in 2000. Ambulance transport and diversion data were merged to identify transports that occurred during diversion periods. The proportion of patients rerouted when the closest hospital was on diversion was determined. Generalized estimating equation modeling identified patient, transport, and hospital factors that influenced the likelihood of reroute.

RESULTS

Central Maryland hospitals were on diversion 25% of the time in 2000, although it varied by hospital (range of 1-34%). There were 128,165 transports during the study period, of which 18,633 occurred when the closest hospital was on diversion. Of these, only 23% were rerouted. More than half of all transports during a diversion period (53%) occurred when multiple neighboring hospitals were also on diversion. The factors that influenced the likelihood of reroute the most were hospital-related factors. Large volume hospitals and hospitals that spent more time on diversion were less likely to have transports rerouted to them.

CONCLUSIONS

Rerouted transports more frequently go to lower volume, less busy hospitals. However, only a small proportion of patients were rerouted. Prehospital providers have limited options because often when one hospital is on diversion, other nearby hospitals are as well. Although ambulance diversion may be an important signal of hospital distress, in this region it infrequently resulted in its intended outcome, rerouting patients to less crowded facilities.

Emergency department overcrowding and children

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has been a serious issue on the national agenda for the past 2 decades and is rapidly becoming an increasingly significant problem for children. The goal of this report is to focus on the issues of overcrowding that directly impact children. Our findings reveal that although overcrowding seems to affect children in ways similar to those of adults, there are several important ways in which they differ. Recent reports document that more than 90% of academic emergency medicine EDs are overcrowded. Although inner-city, urban, and university hospitals have historically been the first to feel the brunt of overcrowding, community and suburban EDs are now also being affected. The overwhelming majority of children (92%) are seen in general community EDs, with only a minority (less than 10%) treated in dedicated pediatric EDs. With the exception of patients older than 65 years, children have higher visit rates than any other age group. Children may be at particularly increased risk for medical errors because of their inherent variability in size and the need for age-specific and weight-based dosing. We strongly recommend that pediatric issues be actively included in all future aspects of research and policy planning issues related to ED overcrowding. These include the development of triage protocols, clinical guidelines, research proposals, and computerized data monitoring systems.

Emergency department overcrowding - implications for paediatric emergency medicine

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-, ED- and hospital-related factors are described in the present article, and these may help prevent or manage this important patient safety problem.

A clinical decision rule to identify which chest pain patients can safely be removed from cardiac monitoring in the emergency department

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We determine the rate of serious arrhythmias in a cohort of monitored emergency department (ED) chest pain patients and derive a clinical decision rule that can identify which patients can safely be taken off continuous cardiac monitoring at initial physician assessment.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of a prospectively collected cohort was completed in a university-affiliated tertiary care center. Consecutive patients with a primary complaint of chest pain who underwent cardiac monitoring in the ED in January to April 2000 were included. Serious arrhythmias were defined as those requiring treatment in the ED. Multivariate recursive partitioning analysis was undertaken to derive a decision rule.

RESULTS

Nine hundred ninety-two consecutive chest pain patients were monitored in the ED during the study period, of whom 14% and 12% had myocardial infarction and unstable angina, respectively. There were 17 patients (1.7%) with serious arrhythmias detected in the ED. The following decision rule was derived: patients can be removed from cardiac monitoring if they are pain free at the initial physician assessment and have a normal or nonspecific ECG result. The rule had 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval 80% to 100%) for serious arrhythmias. Applying this rule would have allowed physicians to immediately remove 29% of patients from cardiac monitoring.

CONCLUSION

Serious arrhythmias are uncommon in monitored ED chest pain patients. A simple clinical decision rule could be used to safely identify low-risk patients who can be removed from continuous monitoring if its performance is prospectively validated in an independent patient population.

The Effect of Low-Complexity Patients on Emergency Department Waiting Times

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The extent to which patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with minor conditions contribute to delays and crowding is controversial. To test this question, we study the effect of low-complexity ED patients on the waiting times of other patients.

METHODS

We obtained administrative records on all ED visits to Ontario hospitals from April 2002 to March 2003. For each ED, we determined the association between the number of new low-complexity patients (defined as ambulatory arrival, low-acuity triage level, and discharged) presenting in each 8-hour interval and the mean ED length of stay and time to first physician contact for medium- and high-complexity patients. Covariates were the number of new high- and medium-complexity patients, mean patient age, sex distribution, hospital teaching status, work shift, weekday/weekend, and total patient-hours. Autoregression modeling was used given correlation in the data.

RESULTS

One thousand ninety-five consecutive 8-hour intervals at 110 EDs were analyzed; 4.1 million patient visits occurred, 50.8% of patients were women, and mean age was 38.4 years. Low-, medium-, and high-complexity patients represented 50.9%, 37.1%, and 12% of all patients, respectively. Mean (median) ED length of stay was 6.3 (4.7), 3.9 (2.8), and 2.2 (1.6) hours for high-, medium-, and low-complexity patients, respectively, and mean (median) time to first physician contact was 1.1 (0.7), 1.3 (0.9), and 1.1 (0.8) hours. In adjusted analyses, every 10 low-complexity patients arriving per 8 hours was associated with a 5.4-minute (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2 to 6.0 minutes) increase in mean length of stay and a 2.1-minute (95% CI 1.8 to 2.4 minutes) increase in mean time to first physician contact for medium- and high-complexity patients. Results were similar regardless of ED volume and teaching status.

CONCLUSION

Low-complexity ED patients are associated with a negligible increase in ED length of stay and time to first physician contact for other ED patients. Reducing the number of low-complexity ED patients is unlikely to reduce waiting times for other patients or lessen crowding.

The impact of input and output factors on emergency department throughput

OBJECTIVES

To quantify the impact of input and output factors on emergency department (ED) process outcomes while controlling for patient-level variables.

METHODS

Using patient- and system-level data from multiple sources, multivariate linear regression models were constructed with length of stay (LOS), wait time, treatment time, and boarding time as dependent variables. The products of the 20th to 80th percentile ranges of the input and output factor variables and their regression coefficients demonstrate the actual impact (in minutes) of each of these factors on throughput outcomes.

RESULTS

An increase from the 20th to the 80th percentile in ED arrivals resulted in increases of 42 minutes in wait time, 49 minutes in LOS (admitted patients), and 24 minutes in ED boarding time (admitted patients). For admit percentage (20th to 80th percentile), the increases were 12 minutes in wait time, 15 minutes in LOS, and 1 minute in boarding time. For inpatient bed utilization as of 7 AM (20th to 80th percentile), the increases were 4 minutes in wait time, 19 minutes in LOS, and 16 minutes in boarding time. For admitted patients boarded in the ED as of 7 AM (20th to 80th percentile), the increases were 35 minutes in wait time, 94 minutes in LOS, and 75 minutes in boarding time.

CONCLUSIONS

Achieving significant improvement in ED throughput is unlikely without determining the most important factors on process outcomes and taking measures to address variations in ED input and bottlenecks in the ED output stream.

Emergency department overcrowding: analysis of the factors of renege rate

BACKGROUND

Reneging (i.e., leaving without being seen) is an important outcome of emergency department (ED) overcrowding. The input-throughput-output conceptualization of ED patient flow is helpful in understanding and measuring the impact of various factors on this outcome.

OBJECTIVES

To quantify the impact of input and output factors on ED renege rate.

METHODS

The authors used patient-level and system-level data from multiple sources in their institution to build logistic regression models, with reneging as the dependent variable. This approach provides the impact of each input and output factor on renege rate expressed as an odds ratio (OR).

RESULTS

The OR for reneging attributable to the difference between the 80th and 20th percentile values for inpatient bed utilization is 1.05. Comparing 80th and 20th percentile values for boarded ED admits as of 7 AM, the OR is 1.73; for daily ED arrivals, the OR is 2.00; and for admission percentage, the OR is 1.12. The OR for evening versus morning patient arrival time is 3.9 and for patient arrival on a Monday versus a Sunday is 2.7. The OR for reneging for a patient presenting on Monday evening versus Sunday morning is 10.5.

CONCLUSIONS

The effects of ED input and output factors on renege rate are significant and quantifiable. At least some of the variation in these factors and subsequently their effects are predictable, suggesting that further refinement in the management of ED and inpatient resources could affect improvement in ED renege rate. Continued efforts at quantifying the effects are warranted.

Homelessness, health status, and health care use

OBJECTIVES

Little is known about the health status of those who are newly homeless. We sought to describe the health status and health care use of new clients of homeless shelters and observe changes in these health indicators over the study period.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal study of 445 individuals from their entry into the homeless shelter system through the subsequent 18 months.

RESULTS

Disease was prevalent in the newly homeless. This population accessed health care services at high rates in the year before becoming homeless. Significant improvements in health status were seen over the study period as well as a significant increase in the number who were insured.

CONCLUSION

Newly homeless persons struggle under the combined burdens of residential instability and significant levels of physical disease and mental illness, but many experience some improvements in their health status and access to care during their time in the homeless shelter system.

The in-hospital interval: a description of EMT time spent in the emergency department

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a time-motion study of emergency medical technician (EMT) flow in an urban, academic emergency department (ED). Our objective was to describe the activity of the EMTs during their time in the ED. Secondary objectives included the association of time of day, age, and triage code with the various time intervals.

METHODS

In this descriptive study, we combined information from two databases: prospectively collected time-motion data of EMTs presenting to one ED and an electronically collected prehospital call database of time data. The pretriage, triage, and posttriage time intervals were calculated, as well as total time spent in the ED as a proportion of total call time. Mean times with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Analysis of variance was performed to examine the associations of time of day, age, and triage code with time intervals.

RESULTS

Data were available for 152 calls. The mean pretriage interval was 8.79 (95% CI, 7.55-10.04) minutes, the mean triage interval was 5.14 (95% CI, 4.49-5.79) minutes, and the mean posttriage interval was 31.33 (95% CI, 29.08-33.58) minutes. The proportion of the total call time that was spent in the ED was 45%. Subgroup analysis showed significant differences only between total time spent in the ED in the 7:30-10:00 AM period as compared with the other periods.

CONCLUSIONS

More time was spent in the pretriage and posttriage intervals as compared with the triage interval. Further time-motion studies in the ED will be necessary to plan interventions aimed at decreasing the time spent in-hospital by EMTs.

Inpatient disposition classification for the creation of hospital surge capacity: a multiphase study

BACKGROUND

The ability to provide medical care during sudden increases in patient volume during a disaster or other high-consequence event is a serious concern for health-care systems. Identification of inpatients for safe early discharge (ie, reverse triage) could create additional hospital surge capacity. We sought to develop a disposition classification system that categorises inpatients according to suitability for immediate discharge on the basis of risk tolerance for a subsequent consequential medical event.

METHODS

We did a warfare analysis laboratory exercise using evidence-based techniques, combined with a consensus process of 39 expert panellists. These panellists were asked to define the categories of a disposition classification system, assign risk tolerance of a consequential medical event to each category, identify critical interventions, and rank each (using a scale of 1-10) according to the likelihood of a resultant consequential medical event if a critical intervention is withdrawn or withheld because of discharge.

FINDINGS

The panellists unanimously agreed on a five-category disposition classification system. The upper limit of risk tolerance for a consequential medical event in the lowest risk group if discharged early was less than 4%. The next categories had upper limits of risk tolerance of about 12% (IQR 8-15%), 33% (25-50%), 60% (45-80%) and 100% (95-100%), respectively. The expert panellists identified 28 critical interventions with a likelihood of association with a consequential medical event if withdrawn, ranging from 3 to 10 on the 10-point scale.

INTERPRETATION

The disposition classification system allows conceptual classification of patients for suitable disposition, including those deemed safe for early discharge home during surges in demand. Clinical criteria allowing real-time categorisation of patients are awaited.

An independent evaluation of four quantitative emergency department crowding scales

BACKGROUND

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has become a frequent topic of investigation. Despite a significant body of research, there is no standard definition or measurement of ED crowding. Four quantitative scales for ED crowding have been proposed in the literature: the Real-time Emergency Analysis of Demand Indicators (READI), the Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN), the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Study (NEDOCS) scale, and the Emergency Department Crowding Scale (EDCS). These four scales have yet to be independently evaluated and compared.

OBJECTIVES

The goals of this study were to formally compare four existing quantitative ED crowding scales by measuring their ability to detect instances of perceived ED crowding and to determine whether any of these scales provide a generalizable solution for measuring ED crowding.

METHODS

Data were collected at two-hour intervals over 135 consecutive sampling instances. Physician and nurse agreement was assessed using weighted kappa statistics. The crowding scales were compared via correlation statistics and their ability to predict perceived instances of ED crowding. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were calculated at site-specific cut points and at the recommended thresholds.

RESULTS

All four of the crowding scales were significantly correlated, but their predictive abilities varied widely. NEDOCS had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC) (0.92), while EDCS had the lowest (0.64). The recommended thresholds for the crowding scales were rarely exceeded; therefore, the scales were adjusted to site-specific cut points. At a site-specific cut point of 37.19, NEDOCS had the highest sensitivity (0.81), specificity (0.87), and positive predictive value (0.62).

CONCLUSIONS

At the study site, the suggested thresholds of the published crowding scales did not agree with providers' perceptions of ED crowding. Even after adjusting the scales to site-specific thresholds, a relatively low prevalence of ED crowding resulted in unacceptably low positive predictive values for each scale. These results indicate that these crowding scales lack scalability and do not perform as designed in EDs where crowding is not the norm. However, two of the crowding scales, EDWIN and NEDOCS, and one of the READI subscales, bed ratio, yielded good predictive power (AROC >0.80) of perceived ED crowding, suggesting that they could be used effectively after a period of site-specific calibration at EDs where crowding is a frequent occurrence.

Patients who leave without being seen: their characteristics and history of emergency department use

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We identify patient characteristics associated with uncompleted visits to the emergency department (ED).

METHODS

We used registration and billing data to conduct a pair-matched case-control study. ED patients who left without being seen (cases) between July 1 and December 31, 2004, were matched to patients who stayed and were treated (N=1,476 pairs) according to registration date and time (+/-2 hours) and triage level (controls). The association between sociodemographic characteristics, previous ED utilization, and proximity to the ED and the risk of an uncompleted visit was assessed by the odds ratio (OR) using conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

During the 6-month study period, the overall left-without-being-seen rate was 6.4%. Seventeen percent of cases compared with 5% of controls had at least 1 previous uncompleted visit during the previous year. After adjusting for all patient characteristics, younger age, being uninsured (adjusted OR=1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35 to 2.21) or covered by Medicaid (adjusted OR=1.67; 95% CI 1.27 to 2.20), and a previous uncompleted visit (adjusted OR=3.60; 95% CI 2.67 to 4.85) were significantly associated with the risk of an uncompleted visit.

CONCLUSION

Previous ED utilization is predictive of future ED utilization. EDs should make every effort to keep their left-without-being-seen rates to a minimum because patients who are the least likely to receive care elsewhere (ie, those uninsured or covered by Medicaid) are more likely to leave without being seen.

Prospective comparison of helical CT of the abdomen and pelvis without and with oral contrast in assessing acute abdominal pain in adult Emergency Department patients

PURPOSE

This prospective study compares the agreement of nonenhanced helical computed tomography (NECT) with oral contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in Emergency Department (ED) patients presenting with acute abdominal pain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred eighteen patients presenting to the ED with acute abdominal pain undergoing CT were enrolled over a 13-month period using convenience sampling. Exclusion criteria included acute trauma, pregnancy, unstable patients, and patients suspected of having urinary calculi. Patients were scanned helically using 5-mm collimation before and approximately 90 min after oral contrast administration. Both exams were prospectively interpreted by different attending radiologists in a blinded fashion using an explicit data sheet specifying the presence or absence of 28 parameters relating to various common diagnoses.

RESULTS

The 118 patients had a mean age of 49 years, a male: female ratio of 7:13, and a median height, weight, and BMI of 166 cm, 80 kg, and 29, respectively. The most common indications for the study included appendicitis (32%) and diverticular disease (12%). Pain maximally localized to the right lower quadrant in 37% and the left lower quadrant in 21%. There were 21 patients that had significant disagreement of interpretations between NECT and CECT resulting in a simple agreement of 79% (95% CI: 70-87%). For specific radiologic parameters, agreement ranged from 77 to 100%. A post hoc agreement analysis was subsequently performed by two radiologists and only five paired scans were identified as discordant between the NECT and CECT. For only one of these patients did both radiologists agree that there was a definite discordant result between the two studies. A final unblinded consensus review demonstrated that much of the disagreement between the interpretations was related to interobserver variation.

CONCLUSION

There is 79% simple agreement between NECT and CECT in diagnosing various causes of acute abdominal pain in adult ED patients. Post hoc analysis indicates that a significant portion of the discordance was attributable to interobserver variability. This data suggests that NECT should be considered in adult ED patients presenting with acute abdominal pain.

Targets and moving goal posts: changes in waiting times in a UK emergency department

OBJECTIVES

To describe changes in the case mix, demographics, waiting times (WTs; time from arrival in the emergency department (ED) until seen by a clinician) and treatment times (TTs; time from seeing a clinician until leaving the ED) of adult patients presenting to the EDs in Sheffield, UK, between 1993 and 2003.

DESIGN

A retrospective analysis of routinely collected data.

RESULTS

Of a total of 252,156 patients included in the study, the proportion of attendees aged 16-29 years decreased from 38.7% in 1993 to 28.8% in 2003 (rate of change (b) = -1.10% per year, 95% CI -1.20% to -0.82%, p < 0.001) whereas the proportion aged 80-99 years increased from 6.2% to 10.4% (b = 0.37% per year, 95% CI 0.29% to 0.45%, p < 0.001). The proportion of "minors" (patients not arriving by ambulance and subsequently discharged) fell from 71.1% in 1993 to 60.8% in 2003 (b = -1.04% per year, 95% CI -1.36% to -0.73%, p < 0.001). WTs increased from a median of 21 minutes in 1993 to 48 minutes in 2003 (b = 3.5 min per year, 95% CI 2.23 min to 4.77 min, p < 0.001). The median TT for minors was unchanged but that for majors (patients arriving by ambulance and admitted to hospital from the ED) increased from 55 to 205 minutes (b = 11.55 min per year, 95% CI 6.54 min to 16.55 mins, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The demographics, case mix, and waiting times of patients presenting to EDs in Sheffield changed considerably over an 11 year period. There is evidence that the service for minor case patients improved slightly at the end of the period studied, but this is possibly at the expense of a deteriorating experience for major case patients.

Effects of hospital closures and hospital characteristics on emergency department ambulance diversion, Los Angeles County, 1998 to 2004

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We assess the effects of nearby hospital closures and other hospital characteristics on emergency department (ED) ambulance diversion.

METHODS

The study design was a retrospective, multiple interrupted time series with control group. We studied all ambulance-receiving hospitals with EDs in Los Angeles County from 1998 to 2004. The main outcome measure was monthly ambulance diversion hours because of ED saturation.

RESULTS

Our sample included 80 hospitals, of which 9 closed during the study period. There were increasing monthly diversion hours over time, from an average of 57 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] 51 to 63 hours) in 1998 to 190 hours (95% CI 180 to 200 hours) in 2004. In multivariate modeling, hospital closure increased ambulance monthly diversion hours by an average of 56 hours (95% CI 28 to 84 hours) for 4 months at the nearest ED. County-operated hospitals had 150 hours (95% CI 90 to 200 hours) and trauma centers had 48 hours (95% CI 9 to 87 hours) more diversion than other hospitals. Diversion hours for a given facility were positively correlated with diversion hours of the nearest ED (0.3; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.32). There was a significant and positive interaction between diversion hours of the nearest ED and time, suggesting that the effects of an adjacent facility's diversion hours increased during the study period.

CONCLUSION

Hospital closure was associated with a significant but transient increase in ambulance diversion for the nearest ED. The temporal trend toward more diversion hours, as well as increasing effects of the nearest facility's diversion hours over time, implies that the capacity to absorb future hospital closures is declining.

Description and evaluation of a pilot physician-directed emergency medical services diversion control program

OBJECTIVES

To describe the characteristics and feasibility of a physician-directed ambulance destination-control program to reduce emergency department (ED) overcrowding, as measured by hospital ambulance diversion hours.

METHODS

This controlled trial took place in Rochester, New York and included a university hospital and a university-affiliated community hospital. During July 2003, emergency medical services (EMS) providers were asked to call an EMS destination-control physician for patients requesting transport to either hospital. The destination-control physician determined the optimal patient destination by using patient and system variables as well as EMS providers' and patients' input. Program process measures were evaluated to characterize the program. Administrative data were reviewed to compare system characteristics between the intervention program month and a control month.

RESULTS

During the intervention month, 2,708 patients were transported to the participating hospitals. EMS providers contacted the destination-control physician for 1,866 (69%) patients. The original destination was changed for 253 (14%) patients. Reasons for redirecting patients included system needs, patient needs, physician affiliation, recent ED or hospital care, patient wishes, and primary care physician wishes. During the intervention month, EMS diversion decreased 190 (41%) hours at the university hospital and 62 (61%) hours at the community hospital, as compared with the control month.

CONCLUSIONS

A voluntary, physician-directed destination-control program that directs EMS units to the ED most able to provide appropriate and timely care is feasible. Patients were redirected to maximize continuity of care and optimally use available emergency health care resources. This type of program may be effective in reducing overcrowding.

ALARMED: Adverse events in Low-risk patients with chest pain Receiving continuous electrocardiographic Monitoring in the Emergency Department. A pilot study

OBJECTIVES

Current guidelines suggest that most patients who present to an emergency department (ED) with chest pain should be placed on a continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (CEM) device. We evaluated the utility of CEM in ED patients with chest pain.

METHODS

We enrolled stable patients who presented to a single ED with chest pain suspected to be ischemic in origin and who were placed on CEM. Patients were classified according to risk of poor outcome using 3 published stratification tools. Trained observers prospectively recorded number of monitored hours, alarms, changes in management, and monitor-detected adverse events (AEs). The primary outcome measure was the rate of AEs detected by CEM. Secondary outcome measures were the rate of alarms that resulted in a change in management and number of false alarms.

RESULTS

We enrolled 72 patients, 56% of whom were categorized as very low-risk by Goldman risk criteria. During 371 monitored hours, we recorded 1762 alarms or 4.7 alarms per monitored hour. There were 11 AEs (0.68%; 95% CI, 0.35%-1.2%), 3 of which resulted in a change in management (0.2%; 95% CI, 0.04%-0.5%). Seven AEs were bradydysrhythmias with a heart rate of 45 or higher; the eighth patient had no change in symptoms and was given atropine for a heart rate of 32. The other 3 AEs were an untreated supraventricular tachycardia, a brief sinus pause that triggered a rate change in intravenous nitroglycerin by the patient's nurse, and a run of premature ventricular contractions after which heparin was administered. None of the 3 patients with a change in management was categorized as the lowest-risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine CEM in low-risk ED patients with chest pain results in an excessive number of alarms, most of which require no change in management. In these patients, the benefit of CEM may be limited, and given that 99.4% of alarms were false, current CEM technology needs to be improved.

Exploring reasons for bed pressures in Winnipeg acute care hospitals

Hospital overcrowding has plagued Winnipeg and other Canadian cities for years. This study explored factors related to overcrowding. Hospital files were used to examine patterns of hospital use from fiscal years 1996/1997 to 1999/2000. Chart reviews were conducted to examine appropriateness of admissions and hospital stays during one pressure week. Results indicate that pressure periods in the hospital system were driven by an influx of older adults with influenza-associated respiratory illnesses. Moreover, examination of one specific pressure week showed that at least 100 beds were occupied by patients who likely did not require acute care. The chart review revealed that a substantial proportion of non-acute patient-days were spent awaiting home care, long-term care, or diagnostic testing services. These findings suggest future bed pressures might be prevented through influenza vaccination and an increase in the availability of--and timely transfer to--alternative levels of care.

Clinical review: Emergency department overcrowding and the potential impact on the critically ill

Critical care constitutes a significant and growing proportion of the practice of emergency medicine. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding in the USA represents an emerging threat to patient safety and could have a significant impact on the critically ill. This review describes the causes and effects of ED overcrowding; explores the potential impact that ED overcrowding has on care of the critically ill ED patient; and identifies possible solutions, focusing on ED based critical care.

Effect of increased ICU capacity on emergency department length of stay and ambulance diversion

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Lack of inpatient bed availability has been identified as a major contributor to emergency department (ED) crowding. Our objective is to determine the changes in ED length of stay and ambulance diversion occurring in an urban, academic medical center after an increase in adult ICU beds.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of 2 years of hospital administrative data, capitalizing on a natural experiment in which the number of adult ICU beds in the study hospital increased from 47 to 67 (total beds 411 to 431). We analyzed changes in ED length of stay for adults admitted to ICU, telemetry beds, and ward beds and adults discharged home. We also analyzed changes in hours per day spent on 3 types of ambulance diversion: complete diversion (all ambulances), critical care diversion (ambulances carrying patients requiring ICU beds), and diversion of ambulances carrying trauma patients.

RESULTS

The average hours per day on complete ambulance diversion decreased from 3.8 hours to 1.4 hours (66% decrease). Critical care and trauma diversion showed similar decreases. Average ED length of stay for patients admitted to the ICU decreased by 25 minutes (257 to 232 minutes). Average ED length of stay did not significantly decrease for other admitted patients and increased for discharged patients.

CONCLUSION

The most notable change after ICU expansion was a decrease in time spent on ambulance diversion. Increasing ICU beds appears to have shortened ED length of stay for ICU patients but has less effect on other admitted patients and apparently no effect on patients discharged home.

Community trial to decrease ambulance diversion hours: the San Diego county patient destination trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Emergency department (ED) ambulance diversion is a major issue in many communities. When patients do not reach requested facilities, challenges in care are compounded by lack of available medical records and delays in transferring admitted patients back to the originally requested facility. We seek to evaluate a community intervention to reduce ambulance diversion.

METHODS

This was a community intervention in a county of 2.8 million individuals. Ambulance diversion guidelines were revised for all ambulance agencies and EDs. Participation by EDs was voluntary, and main outcome measures, which included ambulance transports, ambulance diversions, and bypass hours, were compared for the pretrial, trial, and posttrial periods.

RESULTS

A total of 235,766 patients were transported to an ED by advanced life support ambulance during the 2-year study period. There was a significant decrease in the number of patients who did not reach the requested facility because of ambulance diversion for the trial period (n=322) and posttrial period (n=449) compared with the pretrial period (n=1,320; -998 diverted patients per month [95% confidence interval (CI) -1,162 to -833 patients] and -871 diverted patients per month [95% CI -963 to -780 patients], respectively). There was also a significant decrease in average monthly hours on diversion for the trial period (n=1,079) and posttrial period (n=1,774) compared with the pretrial period (n=4,007; -2,928 hours on bypass [95% CI -3,936 to -1,919 hours on bypass] and -2,232 hours on bypass [95% CI -3,620 to -2,235 hours on bypass], respectively).

CONCLUSION

A voluntary community-wide approach to reducing hospital ED diversion and getting more ambulance patients to requested facilities was effective.

Emergency department crowding and thrombolysis delays in acute myocardial infarction

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We estimate the effect of emergency department (ED) crowding on door-to-needle time for patients given intravenous thrombolysis for suspected acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of patients thrombolyzed in the ED for suspected acute myocardial infarction in 1998 to 2000 in 25 community and teaching hospital EDs in Ontario. EDs located close together and sharing a common ambulance diversion system were grouped into networks consisting of 2 to 5 hospitals each. At patient registration in an ED, the ambulance diversion status of all EDs in the network was determined. Network crowding was calculated as the percentage of EDs that were diverting ambulances on patient registration, categorized as none (0%), moderate (<60%), and high (> or =60%). Door-to-needle time was defined as time from ED registration to drug administration. Multivariable quantile regression and logistic regression were carried out; covariates included age, sex, ECG characteristics, previous acute myocardial infarction, vital signs, time of presentation, and hospital type.

RESULTS

A total of 3,452 thrombolysis patients were included: mean age was 62.9 years, and 73% were male patients. Overall median door-to-needle time was 43 minutes (interquartile ratio 27 to 80). Median door-to-needle time was 40, 45, and 47 minutes in conditions of none, moderate, and high network crowding, respectively ( P <.001). The adjusted odds ratios for door-to-needle time delay (>30 minutes) and major delay (>60 minutes) were 1.32 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98 to 1.79) and 1.40 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.75), respectively, for high network crowding compared with none, and 1.21 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.63) and 1.06 (95% CI 0.86 to 1.29), respectively, for moderate crowding compared with none. In multivariate analyses, moderate and high crowding conditions were associated with increased median door-to-needle time (3.0 minutes [95% CI 0.1 to 6.0] and 5.8 minutes [95% CI 2.7 to 9.0], respectively).

CONCLUSION

ED crowding is associated with increased door-to-needle times for patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction and may represent a barrier to improving cardiac care in EDs.

Community influenza outbreaks and emergency department ambulance diversion

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Influenza has been linked to emergency department (ED) crowding, yet few studies have examined this association. We describe the relationship between ED crowding and influenza outbreaks.

METHODS

A retrospective time series analysis was conducted in Toronto from January 1996 to April 1999 (n=170 weeks). We obtained weekly data on laboratory-confirmed influenza and other respiratory virus cases in the community, ED ambulance diversion, and visits to all city EDs (n=20). The main outcome was ambulance diversion, measured as the mean number of hours per week in which EDs were forced to divert all ambulances.

RESULTS

A mean of 10,936 ED visits occurred weekly (average age of patients 39.9 years; 51% female patients). EDs diverted ambulances an average of 3.4 hours per week (range 0.3 to 15 hours). Four influenza seasons occurred, lasting between 18 and 30 weeks each, with weekly influenza case counts ranging from 0 to 236. There were fewer than 10 cases per week in 119 of 170 weeks (70%). In time-series models, influenza was independently associated with ED ambulance diversion (P<.0001). For every 100 cases of influenza in the community in a given week, ED ambulance diversion would be expected to increase by 2.5 h/wk at the average ED (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 3.9 h/wk). During influenza seasons, 24.3% (95% CI 11.3% to 37.2%) of observed weekly ambulance diversion was attributable to influenza.

CONCLUSION

Influenza seasons are associated with increased ED ambulance diversion. The impact is substantial but brief because there is little or no influenza activity most of each year.

Variations in the use of emergency departments in Alberta's Capital Health region 1998-2000

The objectives of this study were to describe the utilization of emergency departments in the Capital Health region, Alberta, between 1998 and 2000, and temporal variations in emergency department utilization by month, day of week, and time of day in 2000. Between 1998 and 2000, the annual number of visits to emergency departments in the region increased by six percent. The mean length of stay, median length of stay and the number of patients who left without being seen increased by six minutes, eight minutes, and 4,442 patients respectively. Variations in the number of visits, mean and median lengths of stay, and numbers of patients who left without being seen by month, day of week, and time of day were modest except for patients who left without being seen. Service pressures in Capital Health emergency departments continue to exist. Temporal variations in service pressures were small. Causes of emergency department pressures are multiple and interrelated. Therefore, system-wide changes should be considered in addressing emergency department pressures.

Emergency department overcrowding in the United States: an emerging threat to patient safety and public health

Numerous reports have questioned the ability of United States emergency departments to handle the increasing demand for emergency services. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is widespread in US cities and has reportedly reached crisis proportions. The purpose of this review is to describe how ED overcrowding threatens patient safety and public health, and to explore the complex causes and potential solutions for the overcrowding crisis. A review of the literature from 1990 to 2002 identified by a search of the Medline database was performed. Additional sources were selected from the references of the articles identified. There were four key findings. (1) The ED is a vital component of America's health care "safety net". (2) Overcrowding in ED treatment areas threatens public health by compromising patient safety and jeopardising the reliability of the entire US emergency care system. (3) Although the causes of ED overcrowding are complex, the main cause is inadequate inpatient capacity for a patient population with an increasing severity of illness. (4) Potential solutions for ED overcrowding will require multidisciplinary system-wide support.

Emergency department contributors to ambulance diversion: a quantitative analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We determine the relationship between physician, nursing, and patient factors on emergency department use of ambulance diversion.

METHODS

Data were collected at 1 ED in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the duration of ambulance diversion during consecutive 8-hour intervals from January to December 1999 (intervals=1,095). By using time series methods, the association between ambulance diversion and nurse hours, physician on duty, and boarded patients was determined. Covariates included patient volume, assessment time, and boarding time.

RESULTS

A total of 37,999 patients were treated in the ED over the study period (2% major trauma, 16% ambulance arrivals, and 22% admitted). Nurse hours per interval averaged 60. A mean of 3.2 admitted patients were boarded in the ED each interval. For admitted patients, the time from registration to admission order and from admission order to ED departure averaged 5.2 and 3.5 hours, respectively. There was no ambulance diversion during 170 (15.5%) intervals, whereas 17 (1.5%) intervals were continuously on diversion. In time series analyses, ambulance diversion increased with the number of admitted patients boarded in the ED (6.2 minutes per patient; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6 to 9.8 minutes), the number admitted per interval (4.6 minutes per patient; 95% CI 0.1 to 9.1 minutes), assessment time (9.9 minutes per hour; 95% CI 3.3 to 16.5 minutes), and boarding time (11.3 minutes per hour; 95% CI 5.6 to 17.0 minutes). Thirteen of 15 emergency physicians were not associated with ambulance diversion, 1 was associated with reduced use (-36.3 minutes; 95% CI -65.2 to -7.5 minutes), and 1 was associated with increased use (47.6 minutes; 95% CI 4.5 to 90.6 minutes). ED nurse hours were not associated with diversion. Ambulance-delivered patient volume was associated with diversion (5.2 minutes per patient; 95% CI 2.7 to 7.8 minutes), but walk-in patients and patients with major trauma were not.

CONCLUSION

Admitted patients in the ED are important determinants of ambulance diversion, whereas nurse hours and most emergency physicians are not. Reducing the volume of walk-in patients is unlikely to lessen the use of diversion.

The Victorian emergency department collaboration

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the project was to bring together 17 major emergency departments across Victoria, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory to work together over an 8-month period to reduce both clinical and operational waits and delays, and to improve patient satisfaction.

DESIGN

The collaborative was based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Series, and utlilized their intellectual property and methodology adapted for the Australian setting.

SETTING

The largest (by annual attendances) 17 emergency departments in the State of Victoria and one hospital in the Australian Capital Territory participated.

STUDY PARTICIPANTS

Each hospital sent a team of three to five persons, which included the Emergency Department Medical Director and Nurse in Charge, and an Executive Sponsor to each learning session.

INTERVENTIONS

The teams were required to attend four learning sessions, to participate during the action period in both clinical and operational improvement activities, and to report regularly in the form of data reports and conference calls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Each team selected at least one or two clinical topics for improvement and at least one operational project to undertake during the life of the collaborative. A patient satisfaction survey was commenced towards the end of the project.

RESULTS

Forty-seven clinical projects were nominated during the life of the collaborative and 32 of these were completed, with 31 resulting in significant improvement or achieving target. Thirty-nine operational projects were nominated, 30 of which were completed, with 24 of these achieving improvement or target. Numerous additional achievements occurred, which evolved from the framework of supported collaboration.

CONCLUSION

The spread of knowledge and innovation can be best facilitated rapidly by teams working together using a structured program in a supported environment.