Published online September 1, 2004
PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004, pp. 878-888 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1287)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Related Collections
Right arrow Emergency Medicine
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

POLICY STATEMENT

Overcrowding Crisis in Our Nation's Emergency Departments: Is Our Safety Net Unraveling?

Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Emergency departments (EDs) are a vital component in our health care safety net, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for all who require care. There has been a steady increase in the volume and acuity of patient visits to EDs, now with well over 100 million Americans (30 million children) receiving emergency care annually. This rise in ED utilization has effectively saturated the capacity of EDs and emergency medical services in many communities. The resulting phenomenon, commonly referred to as ED overcrowding, now threatens access to emergency services for those who need them the most. As managers of the pediatric medical home and advocates for children and optimal pediatric health care, there is a very important role for pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics in guiding health policy decision-makers toward effective solutions that promote the medical home and timely access to emergency care.

Key Words: access to emergency care • ambulance diversion • emergency medical services for children • EMTALA • emergency department overcrowding

Abbreviations: ED, emergency department • EMS, emergency medical services • ACEP, American College of Emergency Physicians • AHA, American Hospital Association • GAO, US General Accounting Office • EMTALA, Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act • MSE, medical screening examination • SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program • IOM, Institute of Medicine


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?

Statement of reaffirmation:

AAP Publications Reaffirmed and Retired
Pediatrics 120: 683-684. [Full Text]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
K. A Prentiss and R. Vinci
Children in emergency departments: who should provide their care?
Arch. Dis. Child., August 1, 2009; 94(8): 573 - 576.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc.Home page
N. R. Hoot, L. J. LeBlanc, I. Jones, S. R. Levin, C. Zhou, C. S. Gadd, and D. Aronsky
Forecasting Emergency Department Crowding: A Prospective, Real-time Evaluation
J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., May 1, 2009; 16(3): 338 - 345.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
M. F. Newton, C. C. Keirns, R. Cunningham, R. A. Hayward, and R. Stanley
Uninsured Adults Presenting to US Emergency Departments: Assumptions vs Data
JAMA, October 22, 2008; 300(16): 1914 - 1924.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. E. Krug and M. Gausche-Hill
When There Is "No Room at the Inn": Potential Solution for Overcrowding in a Tertiary Pediatric Center
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, September 1, 2007; 161(9): 911 - 913.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Access to Optimal Emergency Care for Children
Pediatrics, January 1, 2007; 119(1): 161 - 164.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
C. G. Macias, A. C. Caviness, M. Sockrider, E. Brooks, R. Kronfol, L. K. Bartholomew, S. Abramson, and W. Shearer
The effect of acute and chronic asthma severity on pediatric emergency department utilization.
Pediatrics, April 1, 2006; 117(4 Pt 2): S86 - S95.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
E. A. Jewett, M. R. Anderson, and G. S. Gilchrist
The Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce: Public Policy and Forces for Change
Pediatrics, November 1, 2005; 116(5): 1192 - 1202.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
C. A. James, F. T. Bourgeois, and M. W. Shannon
Association of Race/Ethnicity with Emergency Department Wait Times
Pediatrics, March 1, 2005; 115(3): e310 - e315.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 AAP NewsHome page
S. Cash
AAP policy focuses on reducing emergency department overcrowding
AAP News, September 1, 2004; 25(3): 118 - 118.
[Full Text] [PDF]