Availability of Emergency Department Wait Times Information: A Patient-Centered Needs Assessment

Table 1

Demographics and baseline characteristics of emergency department waiting room survey respondents (N = 240).

Characteristic	%, N
Age (years)
Median, IQR	39.0, 24.0
Sex (M)	56.3, 135
Top 5 chief complaints for presentation to ED
Gastrointestinal	16.7, 40
Orthopedic	15.4, 37
Gynecological	14.0, 34
Cardiovascular	10.0, 24
Neurological	9.2, 22
Current stage of waiting
Waiting for nurse bedside assessment	44.6, 107
Waiting to see physician for the first time	11.6, 27
Waiting for tests	20.1, 49
Waiting for reassessment by physician	20.5, 50
Waiting to be seen by consulting service	3.2, 7
Number of patients waiting to be seen in waiting room
<5	28.3, 68
5–10	47.5, 114
>10	24.2, 58
Longest waiting to be seen time
<1 hour	8.8, 21
1–2 hours	22.5, 54
2–3 hours	28.3, 68
3–4 hours	28.8, 69
>4 hours	11.7, 28
Patients’ stated reasonable ED wait time
No wait time	4.0, 8
Less than 30 minutes	11.2, 26
Less than 1 hour	32.1, 79
Less than 2 hours	32.5, 80
Less than 3 hours	12.4, 29
As long as it takes to get the care I need	7.6, 18
Where patients would go if they left ED without being seen
Another emergency department	48.6, 116
Walk in clinic	13.7, 33
Family doctor	5.4, 13
Home	22.1, 53
Return to same emergency department later	10.4, 25

%, N: unless otherwise specified.