Emergency department crowding is associated with increased inpatient mortality, according to a study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
The study included 995,379 patients admitted through the EDs of 187 nonfederal, acute-care hospitals in California in 2007. Researchers measured ED crowding by the hours of ambulance diversion on the day of admission. Periods of high ED crowding were defined as days within the top quartile of diversion hours for a specific facility.
Results showed that patients admitted on days with high ED crowding were 5 percent more likely to die as an inpatient than patients who were not admitted on crowded days. In addition, the length of stay of patients admitted on high ED crowding days was 0.8 percent longer than other patients, and their costs per admission were 1 percent higher.
Overall, days of high ED crowding were associated with 300 excess inpatient deaths, 6,200 additional hospital days and $17 million in additional costs.
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The study included 995,379 patients admitted through the EDs of 187 nonfederal, acute-care hospitals in California in 2007. Researchers measured ED crowding by the hours of ambulance diversion on the day of admission. Periods of high ED crowding were defined as days within the top quartile of diversion hours for a specific facility.
Results showed that patients admitted on days with high ED crowding were 5 percent more likely to die as an inpatient than patients who were not admitted on crowded days. In addition, the length of stay of patients admitted on high ED crowding days was 0.8 percent longer than other patients, and their costs per admission were 1 percent higher.
Overall, days of high ED crowding were associated with 300 excess inpatient deaths, 6,200 additional hospital days and $17 million in additional costs.
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13 Statistics on Hospital ED Supply and Demand