According to the organization, this is partly due to staff shortages. According to the NVSHA, nearly a quarter of patients entering the emergency room have to wait longer than 4 hours. That equates to about 180,000 people per year. According to the professional association, this means that 940 patients die unnecessarily every year, as a result of too long waiting times at the emergency room.
“I am always amazed that there is no structural attention for the shortage of specialized emergency physicians and nurses,” says David Baden, chairman of the NVSHA. “The shortages lead, among other things, to excessive crowds and to emergency room stops. That is taxing for staff, but also downright dangerous for patients,” he continues.