Measuring emergency department patient wait time

Tabled Report 2: 2021–22

Tabled date

2021-09-14

Report year

2021-22

Community welfare Health

Entities audited

• Department of Health and hospital and health services

Recommendations

1. QAO's text Addressed to: improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs. This

   improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs.
   
   This should include:

   • implementing system controls in FirstNet (a module of Queensland Health’s integrated electronic medical record system) to prevent or alert users to invalid data entry
   • ensuring a consistent approach in scope and resourcing across hospitals to the cleansing of ED data, including a focus on the accuracy of all data, not just that relating to instances that do not meet targets (Chapter 3)

2. QAO's text Addressed to: improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs. This

   improves how patient off stretcher time is recorded or reported, including:

   • implementing validation controls for recording arrival and handover times (Chapter 3)
   • resuming the system integration project to improve real-time (instant) sharing of QAS data with EDs (Chapter 2)

3. QAO's text Addressed to: improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs. This

   continues with the current initiatives to promote measures of performance and outcomes in all parts of care affecting ED performance, and implements measures that provide a more holistic view of ED performance (Chapter 2)

4. QAO's text Addressed to: improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs. This

   develops and implements guidelines for HHSs to identify measures of success before starting improvement initiatives and to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to improve ED performance (Chapter 2)

5. QAO's text Addressed to: improves the accuracy of emergency department (ED) data recorded, and quality of data checks and corrections (data cleansing) required by HHSs. This

   monitors and reports on the use of short-term treatment areas within EDs (such as short stay units, clinical decision units, and any other equivalent units that stop the clock on measuring emergency length of stay) (Chapter 2).

Authoritative report — Queensland Audit Office

Report PDF on QAO