The percentage of emergency department (ED) patients seen within the triage target time declined steadily each year from 1997 to 2006, according to a study published in the Nov. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. In addition, the study found that the most emergent or highest priority ED patients were least likely to be seen within the triage target time. Patients of all racial/ethnic backgrounds and payer types were similarly affected. Overall, one in four emergency department patients in 2006 waited longer than recommended to be evaluated by a physician, up from one in five in 1997.
