Lowthian, Judy A., Curtis, Andrea J., Cameron, Peter, Stoelwinder, Johannes U., Cooke, Matthew and McNeil, John (2011) Systematic review of trends in emergency department attendances : an Australian perspective. Emergency Medicine Journal, Vol.28 (No.5). pp. 373-377. doi:10.1136/emj.2010.099226

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Abstract

Emergency departments (EDs) in many developed countries are experiencing increasing pressure due to rising numbers of patient presentations and emergency admissions. Reported increases range up to 7% annually. Together with limited inpatient bed capacity, this contributes to prolonged lengths of stay in the ED; disrupting timely access to urgent care, posing a threat to patient safety. The aim of this review is to summarise the findings of studies that have investigated the extent of and the reasons for increasing emergency presentations. To do this, a systematic review and synthesis of published and unpublished reports describing trends and underlying drivers associated with the increase in ED presentations in developed countries was conducted. Most published studies provided evidence of increasing ED attendances within developed countries. A series of inter-related factors have been proposed to explain the increase in emergency demand. These include changes in demography and in the organisation and delivery of healthcare services, as well as improved health awareness and community expectations arising from health promotion campaigns. The factors associated with increasing ED presentations are complex and inter-related and include rising community expectations regarding access to emergency care in acute hospitals. A systematic investigation of the demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors highlighted by this review is recommended. This would facilitate untangling the dynamics of the increase in emergency demand.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Hospitals -- Emergency services, Hospitals -- Admission and discharge
Journal or Publication Title:	Emergency Medicine Journal
Publisher:	BMJ
ISSN:	1472-0213
Official Date:	20 May 2011
Dates:	Date Event 20 May 2011 Published
Volume:	Vol.28
Number:	No.5
Page Range:	pp. 373-377
DOI:	10.1136/emj.2010.099226
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder:	National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) (NHMRC)

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