Does emergency department workload adversely influence timely analgesia?

Abstract

Objective: The impact of ED overcrowding on delay to analgesia has not been well studied. Our objective was to determine if ED workload influenced time to analgesia (TTA). Methods: An observational, retrospective study (May 2006 to March 2007) was conducted. Adult patients with diagnoses of acute biliary pain, renal colic, wrist and femoral neck fractures were identified and assigned to an ED workload group based on total patient care time - a validated measure of ED workload. The groups were defined by low, middle and high quartiles of total patient care time. The high quartile was defined as overcrowded - equating to average ED occupancy/24 h of 85-140%. Data collected included demographic..