Factors that contribute to patient length of stay in the emergency department: A time in motion observational study

Objectives

Increased Emergency Department length of stay impacts access to emergency care and is associated with increased patient morbidity, overcrowding, reduced patient and staff satisfaction. We sought to determine the contributing factors to increased length of stay in our mixed ED.

Methods

A real-time observational study was conducted at Wollongong Hospital over a continuous 72-h period. Times of intervention, assessment and treatment were recorded by dedicated emergency medical or nurse observers. The time from triage to each event was calculated and descriptive analyses performed. Free text comments were analysed using inductive content analysis.

Results

Data were collected on 381 of 389 eligible patients. The largest time delays were experienced by patients who required a CT, specialist review and/or an inpatient bed. Registrars and nurse practitioners were the most efficient in reaching a decision to admit or discharge. The time from triage to specialist review increased with the number requested (148 min for one, 224 min for two and 285 min for three). The longest length of stay was experienced by mental health and paediatric patients.

Conclusions

The main delays contributing to ED length of stay were CT imaging and specialist reviews. Overcrowding in ED need targeted, site-specific interventions.