Urgency classification methods for emergency department visits: do they measure up?
Publication/Presentation Date
12-1-2008
Abstract
Across the United States, emergency departments (EDs) are plagued by overcrowding and its deleterious effects. Consequently, investigators have attempted to identify a subset of nonurgent patients who could potentially be managed in alternative settings to help alleviate the burden of overcrowding. Previous authors have used several methods to define ED visit urgency; however, the lack of a single valid method has resulted in widely variable estimates of nonurgent ED use. Accurate identification of nonurgent ED visits is necessary to compare nonurgent populations across health care settings and design safe, effective interventions aimed at reducing ED overcrowding. In this paper, we review the currently used methods for the classification of ED visit urgency, discuss the implications of measurement of ED urgency for health care stakeholders, and suggest future directions for the feasible, practical measurement of ED urgency.
Volume
24
Issue
12
First Page
870
Last Page
874
ISSN
1535-1815
Published In/Presented At
Mistry, R. D., Brousseau, D. C., & Alessandrini, E. A. (2008). Urgency classification methods for emergency department visits: do they measure up?. Pediatric emergency care, 24(12), 870–874. https://doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0b013e31818fa79d
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
19092571
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article