Emergency Department Volume and Racial and Ethnic Differences in Waiting Times in the United States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9101455 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nancy Sonnenfeld (National Center for Health Statistics, corresponding author), Stephen R Pitts (Emory University), Susan M Schappert (0000-0002-6033-0752, National Center for Health Statistics, corresponding author), Sandra L Decker (0000-0001-7135-0647, National Center for Health Statistics, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 335-341 |
| Publication date | 2012-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Care (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/mlr.0b013e318245a53c |
| PMID | 22270097 |
| OpenAlex | W2034228680 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 17 |
BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) waiting times have been observed previously. OBJECTIVES: We explored how adjusting for ED attributes, particularly visit volume, affected racial/ethnic differences in waiting time. RESEARCH DESIGN: We constructed linear models using generalized estimating equations with 2007-2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data. SUBJECTS: We analyzed data from 54,819 visits to 431 US EDs. MEASURES: Our dependent variable was waiting time, measured from arrival to time seen by physician, and was log transformed because it was skewed. Primary independent variables were individual race/ethnicity (Hispanic and non-Hispanic white, black, other) and ED race/ethnicity composition (covariates for percentages of Hispanics, blacks, and others). Covariates included patient age, triage assessment, arrival by ambulance, payment source, volume, region, and teaching hospital. RESULTS: Geometric mean waiting times were 27.3, 37.7, and 32.7 minutes for visits by white, black, and Hispanic patients. Patients waited significantly longer at EDs serving higher percentages of black patients; per 25 point increase in percent black patients served, waiting times increased by 23% (unadjusted) and 13% (adjusted). Within EDs, black patients waited 9% (unadjusted) and 4% (adjusted) longer than whites. The ED attribute most strongly associated with waiting times was visit volume. Waiting times were about half as long at low-volume compared with high-volume EDs (P<0.001). For Hispanic patients, differences were smaller and less robust to model choice. CONCLUSIONS: Non-Hispanic black patients wait longer for ED care than whites primarily because of where they receive that care. ED volume may explain some across-ED differences
Emergency department · Ethnic group · Family medicine · Medical emergency · Race (biology) · Sociology · Volume (thermodynamics) · Anthropology · Demography · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Emergency Medicine · Gender Studies · Healthcare Operations and Scheduling Optimization · Medicine · Nursing · Trauma and Emergency Care Studies · Gerontology
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,55 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2024 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |