October 9, 2006—Between 40 percent and 50 percent of US hospitals experience crowded conditions in the emergency department (ED), with almost two-thirds of metropolitan EDs experiencing crowding at times, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics.
The report, entitled “Staffing, Capacity, and Ambulance Diversion in Emergency Departments: United States, 2003-04,” contains a number of findings, including:
- An average of 4,500 EDs were in operation in the US during 2003 and 2004;
- Crowding in metropolitan EDs was associated with a higher percentage of nursing vacancies, higher patient volume, and longer patient waiting and treatment durations;
- Over half the EDs saw fewer than 20,000 patients annually, but one out of 10 had an annual visit volume of more than 50,000 patients;
- Most EDs used outside contracts to provide physicians (64.7 percent);
- Half of EDs in metropolitan areas had more than 5 percent of their nursing positions vacant; and
- Approximately one-third of US hospitals reported having to divert an ambulance to another emergency department due to overcrowding or staffing shortages at their ED.
