Ambulance diversion and ED overcrowding

Access block causes emergency department overcrowding and ambulance diversion in Perth, Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE Access block refers to the situation where patients in the emergency department (ED) requiring inpatient care are unable to gain access to appropriate hospital beds within a reasonable time frame. We systematically evaluated the relationship between access block, ED overcrowding, ambulance diversion, and ED activity. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of data from the Emergen...

Emergency department overcrowding: ambulance diversion and the legal duty to care.

Emergency Department Overcrowding and Ambulance Turnaround Time

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to describe overcrowding in regional emergency departments in Seoul, Korea and evaluate the effect of crowdedness on ambulance turnaround time. METHODS This study was conducted between January 2010 and December 2010. Patients who were transported by 119-responding ambulances to 28 emergency centers within Seoul were eligible for enrollment. Overcrowding w...

Entry overload, emergency department overcrowding, and ambulance bypass.

OBJECTIVES To describe an experience of emergency department (ED) overcrowding and ambulance bypass. METHODS A prospective observational study at Royal Perth Hospital, a major teaching hospital. Episodes of ambulance bypass and their characteristics were recorded. RESULTS From 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2001, there were 141 episodes of ambulance bypass (mean duration 187 min, range 35-995). Mon...

Triage and ED Overcrowding: Two Cases of Unexpected Outcome

INTRODUCTION Overcrowding in emergency departments (EDs) has become a serious problem for many EDs in this country. As a result, patients may wait longer time periods after triage prior to evaluation by the ED physician. This places additional importance of initial “at the door” triage as potentially sick patients may be subject to very long waits. Minor misjudgments at triage are an expected p...