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Emergency department communication, backed by research
Expert, research-cited articles on how emergency departments can explain waits, protect privacy and measure flow. Every figure links to its source; findings from published studies are labelled as research, never as results of our product.
All articles
Why emergency wait estimates should under-promise: the 70th-percentile finding
Three randomized trials found that simply showing emergency patients an estimated wait did not make them more satisfied. A field experiment found what does: a small, deliberate under-promise, an explanation, and a basis the patient can check.
5 min read
Key takeaways
- Estimates on their own did not improve satisfaction in three randomized trials; explaining delays did.
- Estimates at the 70th percentile raised satisfaction the most; at the median they had no effect.
- Under-promise a little: errors of about 10 minutes still help, errors of about 20 minutes don't.
- Patient experience
What patients actually want to know in the emergency department
What emergency department patients and families actually want to know, from surveys, chat studies and trials, and how to answer it without replacing a conversation with staff.
4 min read
- Patient safety
Results are back, without results: why the app never shows them
Why an emergency department app should show that results are back but never what they say: the evidence on worry and refreshing, and how to design the "results are back" moment.
3 min read
- Patient communication
Communicating code-alert delays without alarming patients
How to tell emergency patients that a critical event is delaying care, calmly and without disclosing anything about the other patient: the evidence and the rules.
3 min read
- Privacy
Designing family updates under PHIPA
How to design emergency department family updates under Ontario's PHIPA: express consent, a minimum-necessary scope, revocable links and the safety cases that are easy to miss.
4 min read
- Integration
Integrating with Epic and Oracle Health for real-time emergency department status
A practical guide to real-time emergency department status from Epic and Oracle Health: HL7 v2 through the integration engine, where FHIR fits, minimization and the shadow run.
4 min read
- Flow analytics
Measuring emergency department flow: door to doctor and results to reassessment
How to measure emergency department flow: time to physician initial assessment, results to reassessment, the 90th percentile, balancing measures and clinician metrics that don't harm.
4 min read
Written by the EDFlow team from the research base behind the product. We cite peer-reviewed studies, public-sector reports and vendor documentation, and we never invent clinical claims or quotes.
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