The scope for calculation of this indicator is all hospitals reporting to the Non-admitted patient emergency department care (NAPEDC) National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) 2019–20 or NAPEDC National Best Endeavours Data Set (NBEDS) 2019–20.

Calculation includes all presentations with a physical departure date/time in the reporting period, including records where the presentation date/time is prior to the reporting period. Invalid records are excluded from the numerator and denominator. Invalid records are records for which:

• Length of stay < 0
• Presentation date or time is missing
• Physical departure date or time is missing.

Calculation includes presentations with any Type of visit to emergency department.

Recording departure time

Emergency department (ED) stay length is the amount of time, measured in minutes, between when a patient presents at an emergency department, and when the patient physically departs the emergency department. It is calculated as per the guidelines included in the NAPEDC NMDS 2019–20 or NAPEDC NBEDS 2019–20:

• If the patient is subsequently admitted to this hospital (either short stay unit, hospital-in-the-home or non-emergency department hospital ward), then the time the patient leaves the emergency department to go to the admitted patient facility is recorded.
  • – Patients admitted to any other ward or bed within the emergency department have not physically departed the emergency department until they leave the emergency department
  • – If the patient is admitted and subsequently dies before leaving the emergency department, then the time the body was removed from the emergency department is recorded.
• If the service episode is completed without the patient being admitted, then the time the patient's emergency department non-admitted clinical care ended is recorded.
• If the service episode is completed and the patient is referred to another hospital for admission, then the time the patient leaves the emergency department is recorded.
• If the patient did not wait, then the time the patient leaves the emergency department or was first noticed as having left is recorded.
• If the patient leaves at their own risk, then the time the patient leaves the emergency department or was first noticed as having left is recorded.
• If the patient died in the emergency department, then the time the body was removed from the emergency department is recorded.
• If the patient was dead on arrival, then the time the body was removed from the emergency department is recorded. If an emergency department physician certified the death of the patient outside the emergency department, then the time the patient was certified dead is recorded.
• If the patient was registered, advised of another health-care service, and left the emergency department without being attended by a health-care professional, then the time the patient leaves the emergency department is recorded.

Presentation time and date are the time and date of the first recorded contact with an emergency department staff member. The first recorded contact can be the commencement of the clerical registration or triage process, whichever happens first.

100 x (Numerator ÷ Denominator)

Number of emergency department presentations where emergency department stay length is less than or equal to four hours.

Number of emergency department presentations.

2019–20—State and territory.

Most recent data available for 2021 National Healthcare Agreement performance reporting: 2019–20.

Information about the volume of invalid records will be included in data quality statements.

NN[N]

National Healthcare Agreement

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Specification: Final, the measure meets the intention of the indicator.