Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Dr. Guillermo Montes

Second Supervisor

Dr. Michael Seils

Abstract

Emergency Departments (ED) serve as both the front door to hospitals and as safety nets within their communities. This dissertation examines ED visits from 2018 to 2024 at a single community hospital to assess trends across three critical time periods related to the coronavirus disease Pre-COVID, COVID-19 (pandemic), and post-COVID-19. The study identified shifts in patient volume and operational performance in the ED. Specifically the study showed a statistically significant decrease during the COVID-19 period compared to the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 periods. The mean daily pre-COVID-19 census (M = 125.43) decreased significantly during the pandemic (M = 107.57) and in the post-COVID-19 timeframe (M = 120.30). Additionally, pre-COVID-19 had a 1.21% left without being seen (LWBS) rate that had a statistically significant increase of 415% during the pandemic and post-COVID-19 timeframe of 355%. Lastly, door to doctor times significantly decreased from pre-COVID-19 to the pandemic timeframe (MD = -6.30) while increasing in post-COVID-19 (MD = -12.21). Geriatric patients had shorter throughput times during the pre-COVID-19 timeframe compared to the pandemic (MD = -188.67) and post-COVID-19 (MD = -196.78) timeframes. An increase in admit rate from pre-COVID-19 (43.75%) to the pandemic (45.68%) and in post-COVID-19 (44.49%). Geriatric patients had shorter boarding times during the pre-COVID-19 timeframe compared to the pandemic (MD = -246.69) and post-COVID-19 (MD = -319.34) timeframes. The study recommends that Government works to understand ED usage, Hospital Leadership utilizes staff and data for CQI, and patients understand the ED functions and other healthcare options based on their illness.

Download

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS