Abstract
BackgroundCompelling data on clinical emergency medicine is required for healthcare system management.The aim of this survey was to describe the nationwide status quo of emergency care in Germany at the healthcare system level using the Utstein reporting template as the guideline to measure the data collected.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey collected standardized data from German EDs in 2018. All 759 of the EDs listed in a previously collected ED Directory were contacted in November 2019 using the online-survey tool SoSci Survey.Exclusively descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Absolute as well as relative frequencies, medians, means, ranges, standard deviations (SD) and interquartile ranges (IQR) were reported depending on distribution.Main ResultsA total of 150 questionnaires of contacted EDs were evaluated (response rate: 19.8%). Hospitals had a median of 403 inpatient beds (n=147). The EDs recorded a median of 30,000 patient contacts (n=136). Eighty-three EDs (55%) had observation units with a median of six beds. The special patient groups were pediatric patients (< 5 years) and older patients (> 75 years) with a median of 1.7% and 25%, respectively. Outpatients accounted for 55%, while 45% were admitted (intensive care unit 5.0%, standard care unit 32.3%, observation unit 6.3%) and 1.2% transferred to another hospital.ConclusionsThe use of the Utstein reporting template enabled the collection of ED descriptive parameters in Germany. The data can provide a baseline for upcoming reforms on German emergency medicine, and for international comparisons on admission rates, initial triage categories, and patient populations.
Highlights
Compelling data on clinical emergency medicine is required for healthcare system management
The use of the Utstein reporting template enabled the collection of Emergency department (ED) descriptive parameters in Germany
The data can provide a baseline for upcoming reforms on German emergency medicine, and for international comparisons on admission rates, initial triage categories, and patient populations
Summary
Compelling data on clinical emergency medicine is required for healthcare system management. Robust (2022) 22:5 data as a basis for political decision-making are lacking as well The aim of this survey was to describe a nationwide status quo of care in emergency departments in Germany using the SocSci Survey tool with focus on demographic patient data, ED structure and process indicators by using the Utstein template. This "template for uniform reporting of emergency department measures, consensus according to the Utstein method" was developed by Hruska et al to enable a comparative description of individual EDs in research publications [11] and was adapted to the German ED and hospital structures
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