Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2016
Multicenter StudyIs a national time target for emergency department stay associated with changes in the quality of care for acute asthma? A multicentre pre-intervention post-intervention study.
There is debate whether targets for ED length of stay introduced to reduce ED overcrowding are helpful or harmful, as focus on a process target may divert attention from clinical care. Our objective was to investigate the effect of a national ED target in Aotearoa New Zealand on the recommended care for acute asthma as this is known to suffer in overcrowded departments. ⋯ Introduction of the target was not associated with a change in times to steroids in ED, although more patients received steroids in ED indicating closer adherence to recommended practice.