If you’ve been in the emergency department recently, either as an employee or as a patient, you’ve undoubtedly seen the effects of ED crowing - busy waiting rooms, long wait times, and delays in care, just to name a few. In part one of this two part series, we discuss some of the factors that lead to ED crowding and boarding of admitted patients, as well as some of the consequences. Stay tuned for part 2, when we’ll talk about potential solutions! 

Is your ED overcrowded? How is your hospital handling it? Connect with us on social media, @empulsepodcast, on email [email protected], or through our website, ucdavisem.com.

We’re working on an episode on what it’s like to be a woman in emergency medicine. We’d be honored if you’d share your story? Contact us as above, or leave your story on a brief voicemail at 951-251-4804  (don’t worry, we’ll edit it to make it sound smooth!). 

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Hosts:

Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guests:

Dr. Deborah Diercks, Chair of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern, President of the SAEM Academy for Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine 

Resources:

Emergency Department Crowding: The Canary in the Health Care System. 

Commentary in NEJM Catalyst by Gabor D. Kelen, MD, Richard Wolfe, MD, Gail D’Onofrio, MD, MS, Angela M. Mills, MD, Deborah Diercks, MD, et al. Sept 28, 2021.

ERs are now swamped with seriously I’ll patients - but many don’t even have COVID. 

By Kate Wells. NPR CapRadio News, Oct 26, 2021.

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Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Audio Productions for audio production services.