EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OCCUPANCY ASSESSMENT IN LITHUANIA

Emergency department (ED) occupancy can cause many negative consequences for the quality of patient care. The purpose was to find out the reasons for the increased occupancy of the ED, to determine the appropriate criteria for the assessment of ED occupancy and the limits of waiting queues or waiting time. The heads and managers of Lithuanian in-patient health care institutions and ambulance services, in-patient reanimation and intensive care units and emergency departments were interviewed. The reasons for the increased waiting time of the ED and the appropriate criteria for the assessment of ED occupancy were determined: "the number of patients waiting in the queue" and “the estimated waiting time before doctor examination”. JEL Codes: I11, I12, I18, R49.