Emergency department performances during overcrowding: the experience of the health protection agency of Brianza.

Hospital emergency departments (ED) can contribute to improve health outcomes and reduce costs of health care system. This study evaluated ED admissions during a twelve months period, analyzing characteristics of patients who underwent to emergency care in order to understand factors involved in ED overcrowding and promote adequate management. This retrospective study analyzed a twelve months window, with in-depth focus on December/January when almost all EDs reported overcrowding.