Effectiveness of Emergency Medicine Wards in reducing length of stay and overcrowding in emergency departments.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an Emergency Medicine Ward (EMW) in reducing the length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department, length of hospitalization, emergency medical admission rate, and the hospital bed occupancy rate.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional, observational study with a retrospective, quantitative record review conducted at the EMW of a regional acute hospital in Hong Kong from January 2009 to June 2009.

Results: During the study, a retrospective audit was conducted on 1834 patient records.

Knowledge of inter-facility transport among emergency nurses in Hong Kong: a questionnaire survey.

Introduction: Inter-facility transport (IFT) is a dynamic process and its quality largely depends on pre-transport preparation, emergency equipment support and recognition of possible en route adverse events. This study aims to evaluate knowledge of IFT among emergency nurses of three Accident and Emergency Departments in Hong Kong.

Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to registered nurses of the three departments.