As healthcare workers face historically high rates of burnout, the impact of America’s struggling hospital system is trickling down to waiting rooms.
Patients all across the country are facing exceptionally long wait times in emergency departments (EDs) – with patients in some states waiting more than four hours for treatment.
The average duration for patients from the time they first register in the ED, to the moment they are sent home from the hospital varies widely across the country.
In those in areas with speedy departments, you can be seen in one hour and forty minutes – while in more delayed areas it’s more than four hours.
Aside from the annoyance, long wait times can cause life-threatening complications, putting patients’ health in jeopardy.
The average nationwide time spent in the ED before getting discharged is two hours and 45 minutes.
But nearly half of US states exceed this, with Maryland having the longest hospital wait times – 247 minutes, just over four hours.