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The International Federation for Emergency Medicine report on emergency department crowding and access block: A brief summary

NA-EL-ED Crowding and Access Block

NA (ED)

Objective: To develop comprehensive guidance that captures international impacts, causes, and solutions related to ED crowding and access block.


Methods: Emergency physicians representing 15 countries from all the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) regions composed the task force. Monthly meetings were held via video-conferencing software to achieve consensus for report content. The report was submitted and approved by the IFEM Board on June 1, 2020.


Results: A total of 14 topic dossiers, each relating to an aspect of ED crowding, were researched and completed collaboratively by members of the task force.


Conclusions: The IFEM report is a comprehensive document intended to be used in whole or by section to inform and address aspects of ED crowding and access block. Overall, ED crowding is a multifactorial issue requiring systems-wide solutions applied at local, regional, and national levels. Access block is the predominant contributor of ED crowding in most parts of the world.


Authors: Arshia P Javidan, Kim Hansen, Ian Higginson, Peter Jones, Eddy Lang, IFEM Task Force on Emergency Department Crowding and Access Block

Eddy Lang - eddy.lang@ahs.ca

Preliminary data gathering/ baseline

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