title: [Benchmarking in the emergency unit process in 7 hospitals from different autonomous communities].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify and to share the results among hospitals regarding the process of attention at the Emergency Unit, and to detect the practices that explain the differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  7 hospitals of different regions in Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  2005-2007. Firstly the comparability criteria were defined assuring the homotecia in the «emergency process». In order to fulfil the study objectives, 11 criteria were selected and every center sent the information of each one. 7 indicators were identified to compare hospitals processes'. Data regarding all the attentions provided during the study period was analyzed, establishing the benchmark among the centers. Finally, a questionnaire was elaborated for the process analysis, considering all the stages of the process, the resources and the procedures used in every stage, to be fulfilled in each hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The homotecia has been verified in the 7 hospitals, with some differences between centers. 7 indicators have been analyzed in the different hospitals, corresponding to 1,526,890 patients attended in the study period. A benchmark has been identified, with the best results in four of seven indicators: % of admissions from urgencies: 8.3%, emergency pressure: 56.14%, emergency length of stay: 2 hs 20min, and % of patients with length stay > 24h: 0.05%. Differences between the stages of the process, resources and procedures used in every stage in the benchmark center have been analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A set of indicators to compare Emergency Departments has been identified, letting us establish the benchmark.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, España. julian.alcaraz2@carm.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alcaraz-Martínez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Martínez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fariñas-Álvarez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernández-González
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calvo-Pardo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calvo Pérez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Pérez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morado
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires