New Zealand's emergency department target - did it reduce ED length of stay, and if so, how and when?

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2009, the New Zealand government introduced a hospital emergency department (ED) target - 95% of patients seen, treated or discharged within 6 h - in order to alleviate crowding in public hospital EDs. While these targets were largely met by 2012, research suggests that such targets can be met without corresponding overall reductions in ED length-of-stay (LOS). Our research explores whether the NZ ED time target actually reduced ED LOS, and if so, how and when.

Methods

We adopted a mixed-methods approach with integration of data sources. After selecting four hospitals as case study sites, we collected all ED utilisation data for the period 2006 to 2012. ED LOS data was derived in two forms-reported ED LOS, and total ED LOS - which included time spent in short-s

SUBMITTER: Tenbensel T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5615466 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature