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The following is a summary of “Is There an Association Between Emergency Department Overcrowding and Emergency Medical Services Redirection?,” published in the March 2025 issue of Journal of Emergency Medicine by Mathews et al. 

Gaps in the literature on how Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) redirection in New York City correlated with emergency department (ED) operational metrics remained.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the relationship between ED operational metrics and EMS redirection practices.  

They analyzed EMS transports from April 2021 to May 2022. Data on EMS redirection came from Fire Department of New York (FDNY) notifications, while ED operational metrics were retrieved from the hospital’s data repository. Metrics included ED length of stay, admission rates, and door-to-triage and door-to-room times.  

The results showed that 93,783 patient visits occurred during the study, with 22,734 (24%) arriving via EMS. Redirection was implemented on 250 days, mostly on Mondays. A slight association was observed between total ED volume and redirection frequency (OR 1.02), while no significant correlations emerged with other specific ED operational metrics.  

Investigators concluded that EMS redirection practices showed no significant correlation with ED operational metrics, highlighting the necessity for data-driven, objective measures. 

Source: jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(24)00324-X/abstract