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