台灣急診室壅塞的初探

Emergency Department Overcrowding in Taiwan

急診壅塞是影響急診品質的重要因素，不僅影響急診的醫療品質，對醫療資源亦是一種浪費，但更重要的是影響到真正需要急診民眾的急診就醫權益；急診壅塞是個多重的問題，包括醫療院所本身、各層級醫院間的上、下轉診互動及民眾的信心與認知等。建議可透過重度急救責任醫院與區域內其他等級醫院形成策略聯盟，建立良好的院際間轉診，提升民眾對在地醫療的信心，同時加強民眾衛教，提供民眾24 小時分級就醫的諮詢服務，輕症病患不輕易湧向急診，自根源去紓緩、解決急診的壅塞問題。

Overcrowding in the emergency department(ED) is an important factor that affects the quality of emergency care. There are multiple elements in the health care system that are adversely affected by overcrowding in the emergency department(ED). These include, but are not restricted to: Wasting valuable medical resources, congesting the smooth operation of the health care institution itself by causing an excess of referral interaction between all levels of the hospital, and interfering with the clear understanding of medical care and the confidence of the patients and their loved ones who must deal directly with the hospital. We recommend organizing a strategic alliance between the emergency department (ED) acute care unit (ACU) and other hospitals with comparable departments in the region to deal with the ongoing issue of emergency department (ED) overcrowding. Non-urgent visitors would be encouraged not to use emergency department services, thus reducing the number of visitors to the emergency department (ED). The intent of this organization is to establish a competent medical referral system. The organization will also provide 24-hour medical consultation services, which will in turn, reinforce the public health education system and ultimately enhance public confidence in our health care system.