Who breaches the four-hour emergency department wait time target? A retrospective analysis of 374000 emergency department attendances between 2008 and 2013 at a type 1 emergency department in England

摘要

BackgroundThe four-hour target is a key hospital emergency department performance indicator in England and one that drives the physical and organisational design of the ED. Some studies have identified time of presentation as a key factor affecting waiting times. Few studies have investigated other determinants of breaching the four-hour target. Therefore, our objective was to describe patterns of emergency department breaches of the four-hour wait time target and identify patients at highest risk of breaching.