The authors examined demographic and transport data for patients with chest pain in Toronto for two 4-month periods in 1997 and 1999. The periods chosen represented times of low and high overcrowding in Toronto's emergency departments.
"Our results suggest that ambulance diversion is more than an operational obstacle: it can also cause important delays for critically ill patients," report the authors.
Using data from 3609 patients with chest pain in 1997 and 1999, the study shows the longest delay during the 2 periods was a 28.4% increase in the transport interval. "We believe that our results reflect the impact of the increasing use of ambulance diversion to relieve hospital overcrowding," the authors conclude.
They recommend that future research focus on how delays vary for different patients and what leads to emergency department overcrowding in the first place.
Emergency department overcrowding and ambulance transport delays for patients with chest pain -- M.J. Schull et al
Canadian Medical Association Journal