New Position Statement: AAEM Opposes ED Wait Time Guarantees

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) announces a new position statement approved by the board of directors in May 2014.
Emergency Department Wait Time Guarantees
The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) opposes emergency department wait time guarantees. Wait time guarantees potentially compromise patient care by forcing emergency physicians to reduce their attention on truly emergent patients to ensure that less-emergent patients are seen within the wait time guarantee interval. As wait time guarantees do not take into account patient acuity or surges in patient volume, they may put the most critical patients in the emergency department at risk. Although EDs strive to increase efficiency to minimize patient delays, wait time guarantees should be discouraged.

To view this AAEM position statement and all archived position statements, visit www.aaem.org/em-resources/position-statements.

AAEM Model ED Pain Treatment Guidelines

American Academy of Emergency Medicine Model ED Pain Treatment Guidelines

Introduction: Prescription drug abuse has become an issue of national importance. The number of deaths from prescription opioids now exceeds those caused by heroin and cocaine combined. In order to help stem this epidemic there has been a call for more judicious prescribing on the part of physicians. (1) The AAEM offers this model guideline to its members. It may be adopted in whole or in part and should be modified to address local circumstances and state and local laws and regulations.
 

Guidelines for treating non-cancer pain:
This document is a guideline and is not meant to replace the individual judgment of the treating physician who is in the best position to determine the needs of the individual patient.
 
1. Narcotic analgesics are appropriate to treat acute illness or injury. Discharge
prescriptions should be limited to the amount needed until follow-up and should not
exceed 7 days worth.
 
2. The patient should not receive narcotic prescriptions from multiple doctors. Emergency
physicians should not prescribe additional narcotics for a condition previously treated
in their ED or by another physician unless there are extenuating circumstances.