The International Federation for Emergency Medicine report on emergency department crowding and access block: A brief summary.

Objective: To develop comprehensive guidance that captures international impacts, causes and solutions related to emergency department (ED) crowding and access block.
Methods: Emergency physicians representing 15 countries from all International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM) regions composed the Task Force. Monthly meetings were held via video-conferencing software to achieve consensus for report content. The report was submitted and approved by the IFEM Board on June 1, 2020.
Results: A total of 14 topic dossiers, each relating to an aspect of ED crowding, were researched and completed collaboratively by members of the Task Force.
Conclusions: The IFEM report is a comprehensive document intended to be used in whole or by section to inform and address aspects of ED crowding and access block. Overall, ED crowding is a multifactorial issue requiring systems-wide solutions applied at local, regional, and national levels. Access block is the predominant contributor of ED crowding in most parts of the world.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: The IFEM ED Crowding and Access Block Report is referenced in the paper and is available on the IFEM website in its entirety. This article is being simultaneously published in the International Journal of Emergency Medicine (doi: 10.1186/s12245-020-00312-x), Canadian Journal of Emergency medicine (doi: 10.1007/s43678-020-00065-9), Emergency Medicine Journal (doi: 10.1136/emermed-2020-210716), and Emergency Medicine Australasia (doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.13660).
(© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)