Emergency department overcrowding and access block

Emergency department overcrowding (EDOC) is defined as a situation where the demand for emergency services exceeds the ability of an emergency department (ED) to provide quality care within appropriate time frames.

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ED overcrowding has been a key issue in Emergency Medicine in Canada for more than 20 years.Despite increased political, administrative, and public awareness, EDOC situations continue to rise infrequency and severity. Patient suffering, prolongedait times, deteriorating levels of service, adverse patient outcomes and the ability to retain experienced staff in an ED are all ill effects of this ongoing problem.

http://caep.ca/sites/caep.ca/files/caep/PositionStatments/edoc_document_final_eng.pdf