Abstract
To develop comprehensive guidance that captures international impacts, causes, and solutions related to ED crowding and access block. Emergency physicians representing 15 countries from all the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) regions composed the task force. Monthly meetings were held via video-conferencing software to achieve consensus for report content. The report was submitted and approved by the IFEM Board on June 1, 2020. A total of 14 topic dossiers, each relating to an aspect of ED crowding, were researched and completed collaboratively by members of the task force. The IFEM report is a comprehensive document intended to be used in whole or by section to inform and address aspects of ED crowding and access block. Overall, ED crowding is a multifactorial issue requiring systems-wide solutions applied at local, regional, and national levels. Access block is the predominant contributor of ED crowding in most parts of the world.
Highlights
One overwhelmingly common theme that emerged through Task Force deliberations is that the problem may be misnamed
emergency department (ED) Crowding and Access Block is not an issue isolated to the ED, but fundamentally a health systems issue.[1 3]
Emergency Departments are well prepared to serve as the ‘safety net’ for a wide range of medical, traumatic and behavioural emergencies, EDs cannot fulfil this mission if they are forced to become the ‘safety valve’ for dysfunction and limited capacity within the community and the hospital
Summary
Patient flow ►► Emergency medical services (prehospital services) offload. One overwhelmingly common theme that emerged through Task Force deliberations is that the problem may be misnamed.
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