title: Managing patient waits in hospital emergency departments.
abstract: One of the major concerns of patients using hospital emergency rooms (ERs) for emergency medical procedures is the inevitable long wait to receive service. This article addresses why the wait is important to manage, how ER managers might manage the reality of the patient waits, and how they might manage patient perception of the wait. The article concludes with managerial guidelines for managing ER patient waits.
authors.affiliation: Programs in Health Services Administration, College of Health and Public Affairs, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA.
authors.forename: Myron D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Fottler
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D015285:Hospital-Patient Relations; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D017748:Time Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013998:Time Perception; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States; D014850:Waiting Lists