Non-medical technicians reduce emergency department waiting times.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the impact of trained non-medical technicians on emergency department waiting times. The technicians were to perform minor procedures that had previously been performed by medical staff.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study with two matched groups of patients. One group comprised patients who presented to the emergency department on days when the technicians worked (working group) and the other comprised patients who presented when the technicians did not work (control group). The waiting times for patients in each group were compared.

RESULTS: The median waiting time was 10 min shorter in the working group than the control group (P < 0.0001). This reduction was confined to triage categories 3 and 4. The number of patients who left without being seen was reduced from 8.2% in the control group to 5.3% in the working group (P < 0.00001).

CONCLUSION: When added to the normal staff complement, non-medical technicians reduce patient waiting times in the emergency department.