Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T11:32:56.572Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Emergency department overcrowding as a threat to patient dignity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Rick Mah*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Montreal General Hospital, Montréal, Que.
*
Montreal General Hospital, 1650 Cedar Ave., Montréal QC H3G 1A4; [email protected]

Abstract

Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'
Type
Editorial
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2009

References

REFERENCES

1. Soanes, C, Stevenson, A, Eds. The Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press; 2005.Google Scholar
2. Schulman, A. Bioethics and human dignity. President’s Council on Bioethics: Staff Working Paper. 2005. Available: http://www.bioethics.gov/background/human_dignity.html (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
3. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNGA Res. 217A, 3rd Sess., 1948.Google Scholar
4. Shultziner, D. Human dignity — functions and meanings. Global Jurist Topics 2003;3:3. Available: http://www.bepress.com/gj/topics/vol3/iss3/art3 (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
5. Canadian Medical Association. CMA code of ethics [policy]. Ottawa (ON): The Association; 2004. Available: http://policybase.cma.ca/PolicyPDF/PD04-06.pdf (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
6. Coventry, ML. Care with dignity: a concept analysis. J Gerontol Nurs 2006;32:42–8.Google ScholarPubMed
7. Soderberg, A, Gilje, F, Norberg, A. Dignity in situations of ethical difficulty in intensive care. Intensive Crit Care Nurs 1997;13:135–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Griffin-Heslin, VL. An analysis of the concept of dignity. Accid Emerg Nurs 2005;13:251–7.Google Scholar
9. Chochinov, HM. Dignity-conserving care — a new model for palliative care. JAMA 2002;287:2253–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Hwang, U, Richardson, L, Sonuyi, T, et al. The effect of emergency department crowding on the management of pain in older adults with hip fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006;54:270–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Pines, JM, Hollander, J. Emergency department crowding is associated with poor care for patients with severe pain. Ann Emerg Med 2008;51:15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Karro, J, Dent, AW, Farish, S. Patient perceptions of privacy infringements in an emergency department. Emerg Med Australas 2005;17:117–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Moskop, JC, Marco, CA, Larkin, GL, et al. From Hippocrates to HIPAA: privacy and confidentiality in emergency medicine — part II: challenges in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med 2005;45:60–7.Google Scholar
14. Larsen, B, Skretting, P, Farstad, T. Patients in corridors-consequences for quality of care and patient integrity [article in Norwegian]. Tidsskr Nor Laegforen. 2000;120:2636–8.Google Scholar
15. Essence of care. Patient-focused benchmarks for clinical governance. London (UK): Department of Health; 2003. p. 119128. Available: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4005475?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=29341&Rendition=Web (accessed 2008 May 20).Google Scholar
16. Woogara, J. Patients’ rights to privacy and dignity in the NHS. Nurs Stand 2005;19:33–7.Google Scholar
17. Schachter, O. Human dignity as a normative concept. Am J Int Law 1983;77:848–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Mann, J. Dignity and health: The UDHR’s revolutionary first Article. Health Hum Rights 1998;3:30–8.Google Scholar
19. Foss, C, Krogstad, U. Invisible patients — experiences of lying in a corridor [article in Norwegian]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 2000;120:2639–41.Google Scholar
20. Coughlan, M, Corry, M. The experiences of patients and relatives/significant others of overcrowding in accident and emergency in Ireland: a qualitative descriptive study. Accid Emerg Nurs 2007;15:201–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21. Wellstood, K, Wilson, K, Eyles, J. “Unless you went in with your head under your arm”: patient perceptions of emergency room visits. Soc Sci Med 2005;61:2363–73.Google Scholar
22. Chaskalson, A. Human dignity as a constitutional value. In: Kretzmer, D, Klein, E, editors. The concept of human dignity in human rights discourse. Netherlands: Kluwer Law International; 2002. p. 133–44.Google Scholar
23. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Res. 2200A, UNGA, 21st Sess., 1966. Available: http://www.un hchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_cescr.htm (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
24. The right to the highest attainable standard of health. Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, GC 14, Economic and Social Council. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 22nd Sess., 2000, E/C.12/2000/4.Google Scholar
25. Schull, MJ, Vermuelen, M, Slaughter, G, et al. Emergency department crowding and thrombolysis delays in acute myocardial infarction. Ann Emerg Med 2004;44:577–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26. Fee, C, Weber, E, Maak, C, et al. Effect of emergency department crowding on time to antibiotics in patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia. Ann Emerg Med 2007;50:501–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27. Pines, JM, Locallo, AR, Hollander, J, et al. The impact of emergency department crowding measures on time to antibiotics for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Ann Emerg Med 2007;50:510–6.Google Scholar
28. Pines, JM, Hollander, J. The impact of emergency department crowding on cardiac outcomes in ED Patients with potential acute coronary syndromes [abstract]. Ann Emerg Med 2007;50:S3.Google Scholar
29. Dierks, DB, Roe, M, Chen, A. Prolonged emergency department stays of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients are associated with worse adherence to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines for Management and Increased Adverse Events. Ann Emerg Med 2007;50:489–96.Google Scholar
30. Carr, BG, Kaye, A, Wiebe, D, et al. Emergency department length of stay: a major risk factor for pneumonia in intubated blunt trauma patients. J Trauma 2007;63:912.Google Scholar
31. Liew, D, Liew, D, Kennedy, MP. Emergency department length of stay independently predicts excess inpatient length of stay. Med J Aust 2003;179:524–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Richardson, DB. The access-block effect: relationship between delay to reaching an inpatient bed and inpatient length of stay. Med J Aust 2002;177:492–5.Google Scholar
33. Sprivulis, PC, Da Silva, JA, Jacobs, IG, et al. The association between hospital overcrowding and mortality among patients admitted via Western Australian emergency department. Med J Aust 2006;184:208–12.Google Scholar
34. Richardson, DB. Increase in patient mortality at 10 days associated with emergency department overcrowding. Med J Aust 2006;184:213–6.Google Scholar
35. Chalfin, DB, Trzeciak, S, Likourezos, A, et al. Impact of delayed transfer of critically ill patients from the emergency department to the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med 2007;35:1477–83.Google Scholar
36. Henderson, DK. Managing methicillin-resistant staphylococci: a paradigm for preventing nosocomial transmission of resistand organisms. Am J Med 2006;119(6A):S45–52.Google Scholar
37. Kibbler, CC, Quick, A, O’Neill, AM. The effect of increased bed numbers on MRSA transmission in acute medical wards. JHosp Infect 1998;39:213–9.Google Scholar
38. Schull, MJ, Redelmeier, D. Infection control for the disinterested. CMAJ 2003;169:122–3.Google Scholar
39. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Res. 2200A, UNGA, 21st Sess., 1966. Available: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm. (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
40. Leave no marks: enhanced interrogation techniques and the risk of criminality. Cambridge (MA): Physicans for Human Rights; 2007. Available: http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/report-2007-08-02.html (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
41. Interrogations, torture and ill treatment: legal requirements and health consequences. Cambridge (MA): Physicians for Human Rights; 2004. Available: http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/iraq-medical-consequences-of.pdf (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
42. Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Res. 39, UNGA, 46th Sess., 1984. Available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
43. Sphere handbook humanitarian charter and minimum standards in disaster response. The Sphere Project; 2004. Available: http://www.sphereproject.org/handbook/pages/navbook.htm?param1=0 (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
44. International Committee of the Red Cross. Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war. Geneva (CH): The Committee; 1949, Article 85. Available: http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebART/380-600095?OpenDocument (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
45. International Committee of the Red Cross. Convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. Geneva (CH): The Committee; 1949, Article 25 P3. Available: http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/COM/375-590032?OpenDocument (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar
46. First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, Res. 663C, UN, 24th Sess., 1955. Available: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_comp34.htm (accessed 2009 May 20).Google Scholar