Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions
Abstract. Background. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is among the biggest and most important problems experienced by ED staff. The number of ED visits is on the increase and remains an unresolved problem. Emergency department overcrowding has become an important problem for emergency care se...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Emergency and Critical Care Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/EC9.0000000000000078 |
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| _version_ | 1850213517981908992 |
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| author | Ahmet Butun Elif Ece Kafdag Hilal Gunduz Vedat Zincir Mehmet Batibay Kubra Ciftci Dilan Demir Ramazan Bayram Elanur Yigit |
| author_facet | Ahmet Butun Elif Ece Kafdag Hilal Gunduz Vedat Zincir Mehmet Batibay Kubra Ciftci Dilan Demir Ramazan Bayram Elanur Yigit |
| author_sort | Ahmet Butun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract. Background. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is among the biggest and most important problems experienced by ED staff. The number of ED visits is on the increase and remains an unresolved problem. Emergency department overcrowding has become an important problem for emergency care services worldwide. There is a relationship between overcrowding and patients’ negative experiences of using ED and therefore reporting reduced patients’ satisfaction. This study aimed to identify the causes of ED overcrowding, determine the reasons for people’s use of EDs, and develop solutions for reducing ED overcrowding.
Methods. This study used quantitative methods using a descriptive approach. The participants were patients who visited the ED. A questionnaire was administered to 296 participants between December 2021 and February 2022. The study included 5 different hospitals in Turkey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results. This study identified the most common presenting medical problems in the ED and why patients used the ED. Reasons for using the ED included patients perceiving their condition as really urgent (62.8%), the ED being open for 24 hours (36.1%), and receiving faster care in the ED (31.4%). This study also developed recommendations for alleviating ED overcrowding.
Conclusion. This study identified causes of ED overcrowding and some solutions for alleviating the issue. Emergency department overcrowding should be perceived as an international problem, and initiatives for solutions should be implemented quickly. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-90db93bffe5a4559aa8874d0bed843d0 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2097-0617 2693-860X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Health/LWW |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Emergency and Critical Care Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-90db93bffe5a4559aa8874d0bed843d02025-08-20T02:09:07ZengWolters Kluwer Health/LWWEmergency and Critical Care Medicine2097-06172693-860X2023-12-013417117610.1097/EC9.0000000000000078202312000-00006Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutionsAhmet Butun0Elif Ece Kafdag1Hilal Gunduz2Vedat Zincir3Mehmet Batibay4Kubra Ciftci5Dilan Demir6Ramazan Bayram7Elanur Yigit8Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Turkey.Abstract. Background. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is among the biggest and most important problems experienced by ED staff. The number of ED visits is on the increase and remains an unresolved problem. Emergency department overcrowding has become an important problem for emergency care services worldwide. There is a relationship between overcrowding and patients’ negative experiences of using ED and therefore reporting reduced patients’ satisfaction. This study aimed to identify the causes of ED overcrowding, determine the reasons for people’s use of EDs, and develop solutions for reducing ED overcrowding. Methods. This study used quantitative methods using a descriptive approach. The participants were patients who visited the ED. A questionnaire was administered to 296 participants between December 2021 and February 2022. The study included 5 different hospitals in Turkey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results. This study identified the most common presenting medical problems in the ED and why patients used the ED. Reasons for using the ED included patients perceiving their condition as really urgent (62.8%), the ED being open for 24 hours (36.1%), and receiving faster care in the ED (31.4%). This study also developed recommendations for alleviating ED overcrowding. Conclusion. This study identified causes of ED overcrowding and some solutions for alleviating the issue. Emergency department overcrowding should be perceived as an international problem, and initiatives for solutions should be implemented quickly.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/EC9.0000000000000078 |
| spellingShingle | Ahmet Butun Elif Ece Kafdag Hilal Gunduz Vedat Zincir Mehmet Batibay Kubra Ciftci Dilan Demir Ramazan Bayram Elanur Yigit Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions Emergency and Critical Care Medicine |
| title | Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions |
| title_full | Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions |
| title_fullStr | Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions |
| title_short | Emergency department overcrowding: causes and solutions |
| title_sort | emergency department overcrowding causes and solutions |
| url | http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/EC9.0000000000000078 |
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