An interrupted time-series analysis of the impact of emergency department reconfiguration on regional emergency department trolley numbers in Ireland from 2005 to 2015.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To understand the impact of emergency department (ED) reconfiguration on the number of patients waiting for hospital beds on trolleys in the remaining EDs in four geographical regions in Ireland using time-series analysis.

Setting

EDs in four Irish regions; the West, North-East, South and Mid-West from 2005 to 2015.

Participants

All patients counted as waiting on trolleys in an ED for a hospital bed in the study hospitals from 2005 to 2015.

Intervention

The system intervention was the reconfiguration of ED services, as determined by the Department of Health and Health Service Executive. The timing of these interventions varied depending on the hospital and region in question.

Results

Three of the four regions studied experienced a significant

SUBMITTER: Lynch B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6756467 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature