Research Article

Availability of Emergency Department Wait Times Information: A Patient-Centered Needs Assessment

Table 1

Demographics and baseline characteristics of emergency department waiting room survey respondents (N = 240).

Characteristic%, N

Age (years)
Median, IQR39.0, 24.0
Sex (M)56.3, 135

Top 5 chief complaints for presentation to ED
Gastrointestinal16.7, 40
Orthopedic15.4, 37
Gynecological14.0, 34
Cardiovascular10.0, 24
Neurological9.2, 22

Current stage of waiting
Waiting for nurse bedside assessment44.6, 107
Waiting to see physician for the first time11.6, 27
Waiting for tests20.1, 49
Waiting for reassessment by physician20.5, 50
Waiting to be seen by consulting service3.2, 7

Number of patients waiting to be seen in waiting room
<528.3, 68
5–1047.5, 114
>1024.2, 58

Longest waiting to be seen time
<1 hour8.8, 21
1–2 hours22.5, 54
2–3 hours28.3, 68
3–4 hours28.8, 69
>4 hours11.7, 28

Patients’ stated reasonable ED wait time
No wait time4.0, 8
Less than 30 minutes11.2, 26
Less than 1 hour32.1, 79
Less than 2 hours32.5, 80
Less than 3 hours12.4, 29
As long as it takes to get the care I need7.6, 18

Where patients would go if they left ED without being seen
Another emergency department48.6, 116
Walk in clinic13.7, 33
Family doctor5.4, 13
Home22.1, 53
Return to same emergency department later10.4, 25

%, N: unless otherwise specified.