Time To Be Seen In ER On The Rise
A report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the waiting time for patients in the emergency room is increasing. Current data suggests that many patients wait to be seen for about an hour. This is an increase compared to 1996, when patients waited for about 38 minutes according to the report from America’s Health Insurance Plans.
This is a continuation of an ongoing trend. In 2004, patients waited for 47 minutes on average. In 2006, it creeped up to 56 minutes. This value is, importantly, a mean. Some patients wait closer to half an hour and the results do seem to be skewed.
One of the factors that is certainly responsible for the increased waiting time is the increased utilization of the emergency room. Another recently issued report indicates that emergency room utilization has increased more than 32 percent during the past ten years.
In addition, there are fewer emergency rooms available across the country to accommodate the increased need. In 1996, 4,900 hospitals were open around the country according to the American Hospital Association. This decreased to 4,600 in 2006.
Other factors which further explain the increased waiting time are a decreasing pool of specialists and fewer hospital beds. Patients are often stuck in the emergency room waiting for a hospital bed.
August 11, 2008 Related topics: Emergency, Materials Management