Understanding emergency department wait times : access to inpatient beds and patient flow
Description
abstract: This third report examines factors associated with the flow of patients from the
emergency department (ED) to the inpatient setting. Using data from a sample of
hospitals from across Canada, the time from the physician?s decision to admit to the
time the patient leaves the ED (referred to as .bed wait time.) is examined. The
distribution of this wait time is explored with respect to patient characteristics,
hospital type and volume of alternate level of care (ALC) patients. The report
highlights some initiatives under way across Canada to improve patient flow and wait
times in EDs, and points to ?what we know? and ?what we don?t know? about initiatives
targeted toward patient flow from the ED to inpatient beds.
