Many   initiatives have been proposed to improve emergency department (ED)   overcrowding. One such strategy has been to implement medical assessment   units (MAUs). This study reports on an environmental scan of MAU distribution   and characteristics across Canada. A telephone survey was administered to   administrative and clinical leaders at acute-care hospitals in Canada. The   survey was designed in two sections: (1) description of hospital and ED   characteristics; and (2) description of any existing MAU-like units   associated with the hospital's ED structure and processes. Our survey reveals   that MAU-like initiatives exist in several Canadian hospitals but are   heterogeneous in structure and functionality.

Authors: Dean Yergens, Elizabeth Fradgley, Ranjani Aiyar, Eddy Lang, Brian H Rowe, William A Ghali