Current status of emergency care in Korea

Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has formed a significant barrier to timely emergency care in Korea for the past 30 years; an associated problem, the shortage of on-call specialists, has persisted for the past 10 years.Current Concepts: ED overcrowding has gradually improved since controls were imposed on the length of ED stay times. Improving hospital efficiency and patient flow can increase the number of patients treated while minimizing treatment delays and improving patient care quality. Provision of critical care in hospitals after emergency treatment in the ED is essential for critically ill emergent patients. Many specialists have difficulty getting paid for their ED services as emergency care costs are very low. Specialists may also be deterred by the additional liability risks of working in the ED.Discussion and Conclusion: Many residents have withdrawn from emergent critical care in Korea due to conflicts between the government and doctors. Therefore, the government has recommended that patients with mild emergencies be prohibited from using the ED. However, there are more effective solutions to the emergency medicine crisis. Management of emergency patient flow through an “input–throughput–output” process that encompasses pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency medical services, regional emergency care, and interregional emergencies, should be effectively overseen. Additionally, the government should provide support for any resource deficiencies. To ensure a hopeful future for emergency care in Korea, both the government and doctors should strive to build an emergency care network that will operate through pre-hospital and hospital emergency care, inter-ED, and inter-regional emergency care systems.