Overcrowding in the Emergency Department
Too many patients in too little space subjected to inefficient processes. This is the essence of overcrowding in the Emergency Department. In the 40 years since 1975, the number of hospitals has declined from over 7,000 to about 5,700. Hospital bed capacity fell during the same period from 1.5 million to fewer than a million. Meanwhile, the number of ED visits has increased almost every year, totaling 136 million by 2011. The resulting formula for overcrowding is obvious: fewer hospitals + fewer beds + increased ED visits = overcrowding. Most hospital EDs (90%) experience overcrowding at some point. The practical consequence of overcrowding is boarding – when patients are kept in the ED for hours or days after the decision to admit them has been determined.
Source: Hubspot
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Triage
