STUDY OBJECTIVE:: We seek to determine which dimensions of quality of care are most
influenced by emergency department (ED) crowding for patients with acute asthma
exacerbations. METHODS:: This cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection
included patients aged 2 to 21 years treated for acute asthma during November 2007 to
October 2008 at a children's hospital ED. We studied 3 processes of care—asthma score, β-
agonist, and corticosteroid administration—and 9 quality measures representing 3 quality …

Objective: We sought to determine which of several simple indicators of emergency
department crowding are most predictive of quality of care in 2 pediatric disease models:
acute asthma and pain associated with long-bone fractures. Methods: We performed a
retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients 2 to 21 years old seen for acute asthma and
patients 0 to 21 years old seen for acute, isolated long-bone fractures from November 1,
2007, to October 31, 2008, at a single, academic children's hospital emergency department …