The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees) publishes two new studies on the times spent in emergency rooms. One concerns the duration between administrative registration and actual exit from the service according to the patients’ care pathways, the other on the duration of the main stages of a visit to the emergency room. Communiqué
The data presented comes from the Emergency survey, conducted in collaboration with emergency professionals. Carried out in 2023, this survey provides a national snapshot of emergencies over 24 hours on an average weekday, ten years apart from the previous edition.
In ten years, the time spent in emergency rooms has increased for all types of care pathways
In 2023, on a day of average activity in the emergency room (1), half of the patients who received comprehensive care spent more than 3 hours 10 minutes there, compared to 2 hours 15 minutes in 2013. The first study shows how this duration varies depending on the type of route.
The shortest courses consist of a consultation alone, without technical examination or treatment, without admission to a short-term hospitalization unit (UHCD) or hospitalization upon discharge from the emergency room; they affect nearly one in five patients. Half of the patients in this case spend less than 1 hour 35 minutes in the emergency room (+20 minutes compared to 2013) (graph below).
The courses with care and use of the technical platform (radiography, scanner, biology, etc.) without admission to UHCD or hospitalization upon discharge (one in three patients), last at least 3 hours 55 minutes for half of the patients (+1 hour 15 minutes compared to 2013).
Half of patients admitted to UHCD spend more than 17h30 in the emergency room (+2h40 compared to 2013)
9% of patients are admitted to UHCD for monitoring, additional examinations or while waiting for a bed in another department. Half of them spend more than 17.5 hours in the emergency room (+2.40 hours compared to 2013).
Patients hospitalized in another department after leaving the emergency room (one in six patients) have longer stays than those who return home at the end of their stay. It is more than 6:30 hours for half of them (+1 hour 45 minutes compared to 2013). Passages are longer at reception points with the highest number of people, regardless of the type of care pathway.
The second study analyzes the durations between the main stages which can mark, depending on the route, the passage to the emergency room: registration, first assessment (also called triage), start of medical care, entry into UHCD, decision to hospitalize upon leaving the emergency room, obtaining a bed in another department, etc.
No more waiting before medical care for people arriving early in the afternoon and at busy reception points
In 2023, on a day of average emergency activity, half of the people registered wait less than 8 minutes before sorting (diagram below), but one in ten waits more than 30 minutes. Between sorting, which allows patients to be prioritized according to their condition, and the start of medical care, half of patients wait less than 16 minutes, but one in ten more than 2 hours. In total, between registration and the start of care (medical care), less than half an hour passes for half of the patients, but more than 2.5 hours for one in ten. These initial waiting times are longer for people who arrive at the beginning of the afternoon, linked to the daily peaks in emergency attendance. They are also more important in reception points with the highest number of visitors.
Obtaining a bed after leaving the emergency room takes longer for the elderly and in busy reception points
Half of patients leave more than 2 hours after the start of medical care. This duration, depending on the extent of the examinations and care procedures carried out, is longer for patients hospitalized after the emergency department. For half of them, finding a bed takes less than 15 minutes, as in 2013. On the other hand, for one in ten patients concerned, more than 6 hours 10 minutes are needed to find a bed (+2 hours 20 minutes compared to 2013). Searching for a bed takes longer in the morning than at other times of the day, as well as for the elderly and in more crowded wards.
(1) The Emergencies 2023 survey was carried out on Tuesday June 13, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. the next day. The date was chosen outside of school holidays and seasonal epidemics, a day of average activity during the week. It was conducted in partnership with the French Society of Emergency Medicine (SFMU) and the French-speaking Pediatric Resuscitation and Emergency Group (GFRUP), and in collaboration with SUdF, Amuf, Fedoru and SNUHP.
Read the studies:
- Demoly, E., Deroyon, T. (2026, June). Emergencies: the duration of passage has increased in ten years, particularly for patients with the longest journeys. Drees, Studies and Results, 1372.
- Demoly, E., Deroyon, T. (2026, June). Emergencies: half of patients wait less than half an hour before the start of care, but one in ten more than 2.5 hours. Drees, Studies and Results1373.
To go further:
- Demoly, E., Deroyon, T. (2025, March). Emergencies: half of patients stay there for more than 3 hours in 2023, 45 minutes more than in 2013. Drees, Studies and Results, 1334.
- Demoly, E., et al. (2024, July). Hospital emergencies in 2023: which organizations for patient care? Drees, Studies and Results1305.
- Khaoua, H., Suarez Castillo, M. (2024, December). Emergency department visits between 2017 and 2023: contrasting dynamics depending on the departments. Drees, Studies and Results1320.
