Informing clinical policy for ED waiting room management to reduce the incidence of ‘left before treatment’

Abstract

This paper reports on findings of a project to describe the strategies currently used in Victorian Emergency Departments to monitor, follow up and minimise the number of patients who leave the Emergency Department (ED) without receiving or completing treatment. Patients who leave the Emergency Department before receiving treatment are an important quality marker of accessibility to health care, quality of service delivery and the functioning of emergency health care systems. Data suggests the percentage of patient who not wait for treatment at most Victorian health service Emergency Departments is about 4%, and this is increasing at some health services. While many of those who leave the Emergency Department without treatment do seek alternative health care, some are at risk of adverse health outcomes.