European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Healthcare worker strikes are a global phenomenon. Mortality and morbidity seem to be unaffected by doctor strikes, but there is little evidence on the impact on emergency department (ED) flow and patient characteristics. In March and April 2023, two consecutive UK junior doctor strikes occurred. ⋯ The improved KPIs and increased patient flow during strike days, while multifactorial, seem largely attributed to the higher number of senior staff. Patient presentations and outcomes were unaffected by junior doctor strike action.
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Ensuring prompt ambulance responses is complicated and costly. It is a general conception that short response times save lives, but the actual knowledge is limited. ⋯ Longer ambulance response times were not associated with increased mortality, except for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.