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The Effect of Emergency Department Crowding on Patient Outcomes A Literature Review

The Effect of Emergency Department Crowding on Patient Outcomes A Literature Review The purpose of this review was to summarize the findings of published reports that investigated quality-related outcomes and emergency department (ED) crowding. Of 276 data-based articles, 23 reported associations between patient outcomes and crowding. These articles were grouped into 3 categories: delay in treatment, decreased satisfaction, and increased mortality. Although these studies suggest that crowding results in poor outcomes, it is possible that other factors such as nursing care contribute to these adverse outcomes. Nursing care has been shown to contribute to both positive and negative patient outcomes in other settings. Building an understanding of how ED crowding affects the practice of the emergency nurse is essential to examining how nursing care, surveillance, and communication impact outcomes of emergency patients. Investigation into nurse- sensitive quality indicators in the ED has potential to develop strategies that deliver high quality of care, regardless of crowded conditions. Key words: crowding, emergency department, outcomes, patient outcomes gency Physicians (2002) amended this defini- ATIENT CROWDING in the emergency tion to be quantifiable by defining ED crowd- department (ED) has become a daily ing as any time when “inadequate resources Pchallenge to providing high-quality care to meet patient care demands lead to a reduc- in http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal Wolters Kluwer Health

The Effect of Emergency Department Crowding on Patient Outcomes A Literature Review

Winkelman, Chris
Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal , Volume 33 (1) – Jan 1, 2011
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References (54)

Copyright
© 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISSN
1931-4485
eISSN
1931-4493
DOI
10.1097/TME.0b013e318207e86a
pmid
21317697
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The purpose of this review was to summarize the findings of published reports that investigated quality-related outcomes and emergency department (ED) crowding. Of 276 data-based articles, 23 reported associations between patient outcomes and crowding. These articles were grouped into 3 categories: delay in treatment, decreased satisfaction, and increased mortality. Although these studies suggest that crowding results in poor outcomes, it is possible that other factors such as nursing care contribute to these adverse outcomes. Nursing care has been shown to contribute to both positive and negative patient outcomes in other settings. Building an understanding of how ED crowding affects the practice of the emergency nurse is essential to examining how nursing care, surveillance, and communication impact outcomes of emergency patients. Investigation into nurse- sensitive quality indicators in the ED has potential to develop strategies that deliver high quality of care, regardless of crowded conditions. Key words: crowding, emergency department, outcomes, patient outcomes gency Physicians (2002) amended this defini- ATIENT CROWDING in the emergency tion to be quantifiable by defining ED crowd- department (ED) has become a daily ing as any time when “inadequate resources Pchallenge to providing high-quality care to meet patient care demands lead to a reduc- in

Journal

Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal – Wolters Kluwer Health

Published: Jan 1, 2011

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