Emergency Department Length of Stay for Critically Ill Patients Followed Up in Red Zone

Abstract

Objectives: The patients in red zone areas face acute or potentially life-threatening situations, complaints, vital disorders, diseases, or injuries that require emergent evaluation and treatment to prevent probable mortality and morbidity. We aimed to determine the variations in the lengths of stay of patients at the emergency department by examining different parameters and evaluate determinants that affect lengths of stay (in emergency room) of critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: All emergency department patients that were followed up in the red zone were included in this study. Patients' demographic data, major complaints on admission, vital findings, performed procedures and examinations, elapsed time for the diagnoses, patients' lengths of stay, and the causes of their prolonged waiting times were recorded and statistically analyzed. Results: The times elapsed for the diagnoses ranged between 6 min to 18 h in this study (mean: 1.62 +/- 1.79 h). Patients' lengths of stay was between 6 min to 58 h (mean length of stay was 5.51 +/- 5.73 h). The waiting time for cases that required consultation (7.17 h) was found to be statistically longer than those cases that required no consultations (3.40 h). Conclusion: To prevent delays in emergency room to inpatient unit transfers, hospital administrators should manage their bed capacities to a level that is compatible with the annual number of patient admissions. Increasing the number of geriatric wards may facilitate inpatient transfers of patients over 60 years age from emergency room and shorten the length of stay of that age group.