ED crowding and the use of nontraditional beds.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

In an effort to compensate for crowding, many emergency departments (EDs) evaluate and treat patients in nontraditional settings such as gurneys in hallways and conference rooms. The impact of this practice on ED evaluation time is unknown.

Research design and subjects

A historical cohort of adult ED visits to an academic hospital between August 1, 2009 and August 1, 2010, was used to evaluate the relationship between ED bed assignment (traditional, hallway, or conference room bed) and mean ED evaluation time, defined as the time spent in an ED bed before admission or discharge. Chief complaints were categorized into the 5 most frequent categories: abdominal/genitourinary, joint/muscle, general (fever, malaise), head/neck, and other. Multiple linear

SUBMITTER: McNaughton C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3888805 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature