Report: ERs close to crisis

The Institute of Medicine released a closely-watched report warning that U.S. emergency rooms are dangerously overworked. According to researchers, demand for emergency department services has increased 26 percent over the past decade. That's put a strain on the ability of hospitals to handle the most important cases. Researchers found that 500,000 ambulances a year are diverted because emergency departments are too crowded to accept them. The authors also warn that most emergency rooms are ill-prepared to handle a major crisis. "If you can barely get through the night's 911 calls, how can you handle a major disaster?" asks co-author Arthur Kellerman of Emory University. Another major problem, according to the IOM, is the growing shortage of qualified specialists available to respond to emergency calls. More than 75 percent of hospitals report having difficulties finding specialists willing to take cases.

A separate report, "Emergency Care for Children: Growing Pains," warns that most emergency departments are ill-prepared to provide adequate pediatric care. Despite the fact that 26 percent of patients arriving at U.S. emergency rooms are children, only 6 percent of emergency departments were found have adequate facilities for pediatric cases.

- read this abstract from the Institute of Medicine