More evidence needed to divert patients from emergency departments

The systematic review discussed in this podcast outlines inconclusive evidence for the effectiveness of diversion strategies on emergency department use and healthcare utilisation. Dr Brian Rowe, from the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada, tells Editor-in-Chief of EMJ Professor Ellen Weber other strategies are needed to address ED overcrowding. Read the paper at http://emj.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/emermed-2017-207045. Related articles: The patient’s dilemma: attending the emergency department with a minor illness (https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1941);

Low-acuity presentations to the emergency department in Canada: exploring the alternative attempts to avoid presentation (https://emj.bmj.com/content/34/4/249).