ED Overcrowding: The First View concept for reduction

of ED waiting times
Barbara Hogan, MD
A new concept in Asklepios Klinik Hamburg-Altona in
Germany has achieved a drastic cut in the waiting
time to first consultant contact to 15 minutes.
Before introduction of a central emergency department
there were waiting times of up to 80 minutes. Waiting
times in emergency departments must be avoided both
for medical reasons and to achieve increased patient
satisfaction. Waiting times in emergency departments
can be reduced by a departmental leader with
expertise in both medicine and management. In well
organised emergency departments the flow principle
dominates, replacing stationery expertise islands.
Long waiting times also have the character of a
critical incident and often dominate in the quality
assessment of emergency care. For many, the medical
treatment provided is not the key quality factor.
Instead more easily-recognisable but sometimes
superficial factors such as short waiting times,
confident communications and harmonious process
chains are key.