Increased burden on metropolitan urological services: The era of the Australian National Emergency Access Targets (NEAT or the '4-h target')

Abstract

Background: The National Emergency Access Targets (NEAT) was introduced in Australia in 2011 and guides the clearance of presentations within 4-h of initial presentation from the Emergency Department (ED). We aim to assess the impact of the introduction of NEAT on acute urological services at a large metropolitan center. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed and data were collected from electronic patient management systems. The control group was represented by ED presentations between June and September 2011, 1 year prior to the introduction of NEAT. The two study groups consisted of ED presentations between June and September 2012 and 2013, respectively. Outcome measures incl..