Challenges and Contributing Factors to Emergency Department Overcrowding in Taiwan After the Lunar New Year Holiday: A 2024 Survey.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has become a widespread global problem, with multi-factorial causes spanning input, throughput, and output domains. In Taiwan, the unique context of universal health coverage and a severe nursing shortage further complicates the situation. The Lunar New Year holiday period is associated with increased ED demand, yet the extent, causes, and responses to post-holiday overcrowding remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a descriptive observational survey targeting ED directors from all certified emergency care hospitals in Taiwan one week after the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday (February 8 to 14). The questionnaire compared operational status with the same period in previous years, assessing patient volume, bed availability, staffing, perceived causes of overcrowding, and implemented countermeasures. Data from 59 responding hospitals were analyzed using Chi-square, ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis tests, and logistic regression to identify factors associated with unusual operational status and prolonged waiting for beds. Results: = 0.012). Although 35 hospitals implemented countermeasures such as opening extra beds or restricting transfers, only 14.3% reported significant improvement. Conclusion: Reduced nursing staff and closure of general wards and ICU beds were strongly associated with prolonged waiting for beds and ED overcrowding after the Lunar New Year holiday. Current hospital-level measures have limited and temporary effects. A comprehensive approach integrating ED process optimization, hospital-wide management strategies, and community-level interventions is needed to improve bed allocation efficiency, strengthen nursing workforce sustainability, and alleviate overcrowding in Taiwan's EDs.
Source: PubMed
Authors: Ting-Li Tai, San-Fang Chou, Chien-Chieh Hsieh, Shyh-Shyong Sim, Tzu-Yang Hung, Yin-Chen Yeh, Kuang-Chau Tsai
Institutions: Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Yuan Ze University
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4414078289