Respondents mentioned consultation delays (n = 51, 80%) most frequently as a problem contributing to crowding, and radiology and laboratory delays (n = 44, 70%) also ranked highly (Table 4).
Causes of crowding (consultation delays; radiology and laboratory delays; delays for admitted patients/hospital bed shortage; physician staff shortage; insufficient ED space; delays in transfer; long waits in triage; nursing staff shortage; registration delays; other).
Our respondents named several factors they believed to contribute to ED crowding, and their answers were similar to those from other international studies [16 19]: consultation delays, shortages in ED space and beds, admission delays, shortages of acute care inpatient beds, lack of nursing staff, and laboratory and radiology delays.
Mean annual ED visits were 24,936 (SD ± 9,840); mean LOS for discharged patients was 119 (SD ± 40) min and mean LOS for admitted patients 146 (SD ± 49) min. Consultation delays, laboratory and radiology delays, and hospital bed shortages for patients needing admission were the most cited reasons for crowding.
From a technical perspective, in order to obtain robust results, it will also be possible to check for potential assessment errors in the recording of consultation delays.
Consultations delays, laboratory and radiology delays, and hospital bed shortage for patients needing admission were believed to be the most important factors contributing to ED crowding.
Explaining May's decision, he said that amending the inquiry's remit would "require further consultation and delay the progress of the inquiry".
Those included the improper administration of medication, the failure to arrange a cardiology consultation, the delay in performing an urgent scan to rule out a life-threatening blood clot and the tardy delivery of anesthesia during labor and delivery.
However, the union wants to extend the consultation and delay any decision on the project until July next year.
