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In 2022, emergency department (ED) visitors waited on average **** minutes to see a physician, advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or physician assistant in the United States. The median wait time was much lower at just ** minutes. That means ** percent of ED visits were seen to in less than ** minutes. This significant difference between median and mean times comes from a small number of patients who experience much longer waits, skewing the average upward.

Pandemic impact on emergency department visits

The year 2020 saw notably shorter wait times, with a median of ** minutes and a mean of **** minutes. This decrease likely resulted from reduced emergency department visits during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by 2021, wait times had rebounded to levels similar to those seen in 2019. Despite these fluctuations, the majority of emergency department visits were attended to within an hour in 2022, with ** percent of patients waiting ** minutes or less. While wait times are an important metric, the total time spent in emergency departments is also crucial. In 2022, most patients spent less than **** hours in the emergency department, with ** percent staying between *** and **** ³ó´Ç³Ü°ù²õ.Ìý

Demographic disparities in ED utilization

Emergency department usage varies significantly across different demographic groups. In 2022, * had the highest ED visit rate among all age groups, followed closely by adults 75 years and over. Notably, there are also substantial racial disparities in ED utilization. *** individuals had an ED visit rate which was double the rate of non-Hispanic White individuals. These disparities point to broader issues of healthcare access and socioeconomic factors influencing emergency care utilization.