Patient flow and Efficiency Measurements DescribingEmergency Departments’ Performance in Bogotá

Introduction: Patients flow and efficiency measurements are used to optimize resources, improve care times and reduce overcrowding in Emergency Departments (ED). Aim: Describe the performance of the ED at different levels of complexity of the healthcare institutions (HI) in Bogotá. Methods: Cross-sectional study with data of the year 2022 corresponding to clinical, management, staffing, and infrastructure factors to characterize the performance of ED in Bogotá related to HI with different levels of complexity. The statistical analysis described the variables according to their nature in summary measures according to their dispersion. 38 HI agreed to participate. Results: We present the results of patient flow characteristics and efficiency measurements such as readmission rate, overcrowding, leaving without being seen indicator, leaving before treatment is complete indicator, length of stay, admission rate indicator and boarding phenomenon that correspond to clinical and management factors. We found a high variability between the performance of the ED influenced by the level of complexity, the health service provider system, and the educational link of the HI in Bogotá. Conclusions: There is high variability between ED regarding the characteristics of patients flow and the use of efficiency measurements in Bogotá. Describing these results establish a starting point to improve the performance of the ED, enhance processes that have already been successful and intervene those processes that still lack efficiency in the heterogenous HI in Bogotá.