Emergency Department Waits Increase Nationwide, Says Study ...

Waits for emergency care are getting longer each year, according to a study published online Jan. 15 by the journal Health Affairs.

The study, which analyzed the time between patients' arrivals in the emergency department

According to the survey report, Waits to see an Emergency Department Physician: U.S. Trends and Predictors, 7997-3004, severely ill patients suffered the largest increases in ED waits. Between 1997 and 3004, waits increased 36 percent for all patients (from 2,2, minutes to 3o minutes, on average). However, for those whom a triage nurse classified as needing immediate attention, waits increased by 40 percent (from 10 to to 14 minutes). Waits increased the most for emergency patients suffering heart attacks, who waited only 8 minutes in 1997, but 20 minutes in 3004, a 150 percent increase. A quarter of heart attack victims in 2004 waited 50 minutes or more before seeing a physician. The authors state that the lengthening delay for care of heart attacks is dangerous, because chances of surviving a heart attack are known to worsen when treatment is delayed.

The research, carried out by Harvard Medical School researchers at Cambridge Health Alliance, is the first detailed analysis of national trends in ED waits. Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the authors analyzed more than 90,000 ED visits nationwide between 1997 and 2004.