Waiting times in the emergency department for people with acute mental and behavioural conditions

Access block and ED overcrowding have implications for patient safety, and are associated with poor health outcomes and excess mortality and morbidity. Patient access to hospital beds should occur within a reasonable timeframe, that is, in no more than eight hours. When a patient waits in the ED for eight hours or more following assessment and treatment, they are known to be experiencing access block.
On 4 December 2017 a POMAB Snapshot Survey was undertaken to estimate the point-prevalence of mental health access block in Australian and New Zealand public EDs accredited for specialist training by ACEM.   The purpose of this brief report is to present findings from ACEM’s research exploring mental health presentations in hospital emergency departments (EDs).

Waiting times in the emergency department for people with acute mental and behavioural conditions. ACEM 2018