Reduced length of stay in medical emergency department patients: a prospective controlled study on emergency physician staffing - Bucheli, B.; Martina, B. (Eur J Emerg Med, 2004)
OBJECTIVE: Patients, emergency department staff and hospital managers are often confronted with a prolonged length of stay of emergency department patients, with resulting overcrowding in the emergency department. We hypothesized that additional medical personnel would reduce the length of stay. METHODS: We prospectively studied consecutive patients managed in a medical emergency department by internal medicine residents during the evening shift. Data were collected on patients managed before (n=200) and after (n=160) the addition of a second physician on the shift. RESULTS: The addition of a physician in the busy evening shift decreased the length of stay from 176+/-137 to 141+/-86 min (mean+/-SD, P=0.012) for outpatients discharged after evaluation and management in the emergency department. The length of stay for emergency department inpatients admitted for hospitalization was not significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: An additional physician significantly reduced the length of stay of medical emergency department outpatients.
Keywords: journalArticle; *Emergency Medicine; Adult; Emergency Service, Hospital/*statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Length of Stay/*statistics & numerical data; Male; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/*statistics & numerical data; Prospective Studies; Switzerland; Time Factors; Waiting Lists; Workforce