VOICES OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS: OVERCROWDING AND TREATMENT DELAYS IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT GREEN ZONES

Abstract

Overcrowding in emergency departments (EDs) has emerged as a significant challenge, hindering the provision of timely and effective hospital care. The influx of non-emergency cases into the ED contributes to congestion in major hospitals, exacerbating wait times and straining resources. This qualitative study employed content analysis to explore healthcare workers’ (HCWs) perceptions regarding overcrowding and prolonged waiting hours for treatment in the green zone of the ED at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR). Semi-structured, face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 HCWs from various designations within the ED, ensuring a diverse range of healthcare experiences was represented. The findings revealed five primary themes pertaining to overcrowding: (i) insufficient public knowledge about the function of the ED and diseases that should be treated in the ED, (ii) the ED is often regarded as a ‘one-stop centre’, (iii) a lack of staff from all professional categories, (iv) further investigation of complex diseases can be time consuming due to the need for expert evaluation, and (v) management issues such as staff and facility constraint as well as suboptimal work processes. Overall, to address the overcrowding issues in the ED, it is crucial to educate the public on its function to guide proper healthcare choices and ensure adequate staffing and facilities.