The peak body for emergency medicine in Australia says patients waiting for extended times in the emergency department because there aren’t inpatient beds should never be considered acceptable.
“There is no good reason to be in an emergency department for 24 hours, or for that matter anymore than a few hours,” Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) President Dr Simon Judkins.
“Emergency departments are for just that – emergencies.
“They are not a place to recuperate from illness or injury. Nor are they a holding bay for patients who should be in hospital wards, ICUs and mental health units."
State and territory health departments should adopt a maximum 12 hour length of stay in the emergency department, by providing accessible, appropriate and resourced facilities to allow for ongoing care beyond the emergency department, with mandatory notification and review of all cases embedded in the key performance indicators of public hospital CEOs.
All 24 hour waits in an emergency department should be reported to the Health Minister regularly, alongside any CEO interventions and mechanisms for incident review.
ACEM said yesterday, in response to Bill Shorten’s health funding promises, that waiting times represent a red-flag in a wider dysfunctional system.
“The main cause of long delays and overcrowded emergency departments is the ongoing issue of admitted patients having to stay longer in the emergency department because there aren’t inpatient beds,” Dr Judkins said.
ACEM Queensland Faculty Chair Dr Kim Hansen said: “We should never become complacent and accept substandard care of our patients. Access block and emergency department overcrowding have implications for patient safety, and are associated with poor health outcomes and excess mortality and morbidity.
“ACEM is keen to work with the government, hospital leadership and health department executives to develop the actions to improve patient outcomes.”
Background
ACEM is the peak body for emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand, responsible for training emergency physicians and advancement of professional standards. www.acem.org.au
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