Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 2 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Clinical teams' experiences of crowding in public emergency centres in Cape Town, South Africa
Dublin Core
Title
Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 2 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Clinical teams' experiences of crowding in public emergency centres in Cape Town, South Africa
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Clinical teams' experiences of crowding in public emergency centres in Cape Town, South Africa
Subject
Qualitative research
Emergency care
South Africa
Emergency care
South Africa
Description
Introduction: Crowding is a significant challenge for emergency centres (ECs) globally. While South Africa is not
alone in reckoning with high patient demand and insufficient resources to treat these patients; staff-to-patient
ratios are generally lower than in the Global North. The study of crowding and its consequences for patient care
is a key research priority for strengthening the quality and efficacy of emergency care in South Africa. The study
set out to understand frontline staff's perspectives on crowding in Cape Town public ECs to learn how they cope
in such high- pressure working conditions, determine what they see as the factors contributing to crowding, and
obtain their recommendations for reform.
Methods: This research is a qualitative study from interviews and observations at five ECs in Cape Town, conducted
in June and July 2017. In total 43 staff were interviewed individually or in pairs. The interviews included
physicians of varying levels of experience (25), and registered or enrolled nurses (18). Data were analysed with
the qualitative text-analysis software NVivo.
Results: Both doctors and nurses saw crowding as a consequence of three factors: 1) limited bed space in the EC,
2) insufficient health professionals to care for admitted patients, and 3) the presence of boarders. Systemic or
organizational factors as well as human resource scarcity were determined to be the key reasons for crowding.
Discussion: With its high patient acuity and volume and its limited human and material resources, South Africa is
an important case study for understanding how emergency care providers manage working in crowded conditions.
The solutions to crowding recommended by interviewees were to expand the EC workforce and to add
discharge lounges and examination tables.
alone in reckoning with high patient demand and insufficient resources to treat these patients; staff-to-patient
ratios are generally lower than in the Global North. The study of crowding and its consequences for patient care
is a key research priority for strengthening the quality and efficacy of emergency care in South Africa. The study
set out to understand frontline staff's perspectives on crowding in Cape Town public ECs to learn how they cope
in such high- pressure working conditions, determine what they see as the factors contributing to crowding, and
obtain their recommendations for reform.
Methods: This research is a qualitative study from interviews and observations at five ECs in Cape Town, conducted
in June and July 2017. In total 43 staff were interviewed individually or in pairs. The interviews included
physicians of varying levels of experience (25), and registered or enrolled nurses (18). Data were analysed with
the qualitative text-analysis software NVivo.
Results: Both doctors and nurses saw crowding as a consequence of three factors: 1) limited bed space in the EC,
2) insufficient health professionals to care for admitted patients, and 3) the presence of boarders. Systemic or
organizational factors as well as human resource scarcity were determined to be the key reasons for crowding.
Discussion: With its high patient acuity and volume and its limited human and material resources, South Africa is
an important case study for understanding how emergency care providers manage working in crowded conditions.
The solutions to crowding recommended by interviewees were to expand the EC workforce and to add
discharge lounges and examination tables.
Creator
Catherine van de Ruit Sa'ad Lahri, Lee A. Wallis
Source
www.elsevier.com/locate/afjem
Publisher
afem
Date
20 December 2019
Contributor
peri irawan
Format
pdf
Language
english
Type
text
Files
Citation
Catherine van de Ruit Sa'ad Lahri, Lee A. Wallis, “Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 2 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Clinical teams' experiences of crowding in public emergency centres in Cape Town, South Africa,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 19, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2422.
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Clinical teams' experiences of crowding in public emergency centres in Cape Town, South Africa,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 19, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2422.