Woodworth Lindsey
Department of Economics, University of South Carolina, 1014 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, United States.
J Health Econ. 2020 Mar;70:102279. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2019.102279. Epub 2019 Dec 28.
U.S. emergency departments are experiencing extreme levels of crowding. This study estimates the impact of emergency department crowding on patient mortality. Identification relies on the abrupt crowding shocks felt by "old" emergency departments at the time a new emergency department opens nearby. Using death records linked to hospital administrative records, I find that a 10% alleviation of emergency department patient volume significantly lowers the average patient's chance of mortality. Improvements appear to be realized both inside the hospital and after the patient has left.
美国急诊科正面临极度拥挤的状况。本研究估算了急诊科拥挤对患者死亡率的影响。识别过程依赖于附近开设新急诊科时，“老”急诊科所感受到的突然拥挤冲击。利用与医院行政记录相关联的死亡记录，我发现急诊科患者数量减少10%能显著降低普通患者的死亡几率。改善似乎在医院内部以及患者离开后都得以实现。
