Are reductions in emergency department length of stay associated with improvements in quality of care? A difference-in-differences analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We sought to determine whether patients seen in hospitals who had reduced overall emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) in the 2 years following the introduction of the Ontario Emergency Room Wait Time Strategy were more likely to experience improvements in other measures of ED quality of care for three important conditions.

Methods

Retrospective medical record review using difference-in-differences analysis to compare changes in performance on quality indicators over the 3-year period between 11 Ontario hospitals where the median ED LOS had improved from fiscal year 2008 to 2010 and 13 matched sites where ED LOS was unchanged or worsened. Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), asthma and paediatric and adult upper limb fractures in these hospit

SUBMITTER: Vermeulen MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4941160 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature