PatientEngagementHIT (11/14, Rodriguez) reports, “Hospitals throughout the United States are facing increasing levels of emergency department (ED) overcrowding, an issue” investigators “linked to worse health outcomes and even death.” After examining “more than five million discharge records to determine if ED overcrowding on the day of discharge impacts the patient length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and ED readmission,” investigators concluded that “when ED overcrowding reached its peak, patients were, on average, 5.4% more likely to die.” The findings were published online in the journal Health Services Research.
Related Links:
— “Emergency Department (ED) Overcrowding Leads to Worse Health Outcomes ” Sarai Rodriguez, PatientEngagementHIT, November 14, 2022