Patients Waiting in the Emergency Department for a Hospital Bed
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Health Quality Council of Alberta
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Wait Times and System Planning / Access
Defining Attributes
Definition
Average number of patients in the emergency department waiting for a hospital bed, per hour.
Numerator
The average hourly count of all emergency inpatients (EIPs).
Denominator
Total number of hours per month/quarter.
Exclusions
Patients are excluded if their total emergency department length of stay is greater than 168 hours (7 days) or a recognised data entry error occurred.
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
None
Stratifications
By hospital and hospital type (large urban trauma, large urban, medium urban, children's).
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Standardised clinical data
Data Collection Methods
Emergency Department Information System (EDIS), Regional Emergency Department Information System (REDIS), Sunrise Clinical Manager (SCM), National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS)
Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods
Interactive infographic: focus.hqca.ca/charts/patients-waiting-for-ed-bed/
Reporting Frequency
Quarterly
Reporting Frequency in Days
91
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Evidence Source
Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Can the Quality Indicator be Readily Implemented at a Population Level in Australia Given its Current Data Landscape?
Implementation of this quality indicator was not assessed.
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
31 March 2026
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Date Modified 08 April 2026