Waiting times in Emergency Departments (ED-WAITS) v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Waiting times in Emergency Departments: Inequalities and impact on health outcomes
IRAS ID
326579
Contact name
Catia Nicodemo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research governance, ethics and assurance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
researchregistry9149, Research Registy (www.researchregistry.com)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Equal access to ED care is a priority for the NHS.
We know there are more ED attendances in deprived areas. Waiting times for planned operations are longer for patients from deprived areas but we do not know if the same is true for waiting times for unplanned ED care. We also do not know whether people who wait longer in EDs have worse health outcomes.
The overall project will provide vital information to ensure ED care is fair and timely. Part of the study will use anonymised data already collected by the NHS to look at whether there are differences in ED waits and analyse the impact of waiting in EDs on patients' health. This application relates to second part (the Qualitative study) which will explore differences in the organisation and delivery of care in EDs that might lead to differences in how patients are prioritised and treated.
We will observe and talk to patients and staff in four English EDs. We will track 20 patients in each ED from arrival/initial assessment until they are admitted into hospital or leave, and shadow 15 staff members to watch what different members of staff and patients do. Across the sites, we will interview up to 40 staff and 40 patients to understand their experiences. We will also observe care in the ED to see how the EDs are organised and how work is done, and how waiting is managed.
Our research team and advisers include emergency health care professionals, senior strategic leaders and members of two medical Royal Colleges.
We will use our links with the Royal Colleges and other networks to spread our findings to inform future care.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0202
Date of REC Opinion
25 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion