Evaluation of the reasons for delay in Disposition in the emergency department from the perspective of physicians, nurses, and other personnel at Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad

A number of factors affect the duration of assignment of patients and prolong this time in the emergency department.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 129 emergency personnel of Ghaem hospital in Mashhad city in 2022. The data collection tool in this study includes two demographic information questionnaires and a researcher-made questionnaire to assess the causes of delay in determining the assignment of emergency patients.

The average age of the participants was 34.7±8.0 years and their work experience was 8.7±8.0 years. 62 patients (48.1%) were nurses, 34 patients were doctors (26.4%), 15 patients (11.6%) were paramedics, and 4 patients (3.1%) were secretaries. Overcrowding of the emergency room and lack of nursing staff, lack of timely visits by senior shift assistants, and scattered cases were respectively the most important in determining patients' assignments. From the point of view of doctors and nurses, overcrowding of the emergency room and lack of nursing staff, from the point of view of paramedics, handing over the file and doctor's order to the nurse, and from the point of view of the secretary, the initiation of treatment/recording of drugs and tests in the system were the most important causes of delay in determining the patient's assignment.

The results of this study showed that overcrowding of the emergency room, shortage of nursing staff, and lack of timely visits by senior shift assistants are the main causes of delay in determining patients' assignments from the point of view of the treatment staff.