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Review article: Have emergency department time‐based targets influenced patient care? A systematic review of qualitative literature
Author(s) -
Walker Katie,
Honan Bridget,
Haustead Daniel,
Mountain David,
Gangathimmaiah Vinay,
Forero Roberto,
Mitchell Rob,
Martini Ella,
Tesch Greg,
Bissett Ian,
Jones Peter
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/1742-6723.13747
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , crowding , qualitative research , family medicine , systematic review , quality (philosophy) , emergency medicine , nursing , medical emergency , medline , social science , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience , sociology , political science , law , biology
Time‐based targets for ED length of stay were introduced in England in 2000, followed by the rest of the UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia after ED crowding was associated with poor quality of care and increased mortality. This systematic review evaluates qualitative literature to see if ED time‐based targets have influenced patient care quality. We included 13 studies from four countries, incorporating 617 interviews. We conclude that time‐based targets have impacted on the quality of emergency patient care, both positively and negatively. Successful implementation depends on whole hospital resourcing and engagement with targets.