Validation of the short form of the International Crowding Measure in Emergency Departments: An international study

Adrian Boyle, Paul Atkinson, Carlos Basaure Verdejo, Edward Chan, Robin Clouston, Paedar Gilligan, Karan Grewal, Ian Higginson, Paul Liston, Virginia Newcombe, Valerie Norton, Sophie Richter, George Stoica, Abel Wakai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective There is little consensus on the best way to measure emergency department (ED) crowding. We have previously developed a consensus-based measure, the International Crowding Measure in Emergency Departments. We aimed to externally validate a short form of the International Crowding Measure in Emergency Department (sICMED) against emergency physician's perceptions of crowding and danger. Methods We performed an observational validation study in seven EDs in five different countries. We recorded sICMED observations and the most senior available emergency physician's perceptions of crowding and danger at the same time. We performed a times series regression model. Results A total of 397 measurements were analysed. The sICMED showed moderate positive correlations with emergency physician's perceptions of crowding, r = 0.4110, P < 0.05) and safety (r = 0.4566, P < 0.05). There was considerable variation in the performance of the sICMED between different EDs. The sICMED was only slightly better than measuring occupancy or ED boarding time. Conclusion The sICMED has moderate face validity at predicting clinician's concerns about crowding and safety, but the strength of this validity varies between different EDs and different countries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)405-411
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume26
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2019

Keywords

  • International Crowding Measure in Emergency Department
  • crowding
  • exit block
  • management
  • safety

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