Restructuring the role of emergency departments in the healthcare systems: a vector to improving physician resilience

Healthcare systems are continuously evolving to respond to new geodemographic demands, among other challenges. At the forefront of this exercise of malleability, Emergency Departments (EDs) are often put to test as the default access point, while the rest of the system takes time to adapt. Once highly adaptable, years of cumulative strain have stressed the limits of the current organization of Emergency Departments (ED) within the healthcare system worldwide. The consequences are many, most notably for Emergency Physicians (EPs), who now face the highest rate of burnout among all medical specialties, with career resilience at an all-time low and diminished interest in the profession. Understanding how EDs are structured within their respective healthcare system provides a unique lens through which areas of improvement can be assessed. This paper discusses solutions to improve the overall structure of the healthcare system to help improve responsiveness, reduce relegation of tasks to the ED, and help improve working conditions and wellbeing for EPs.