Emergency department website not worth the wait

To the Editor: NSW Health’s latest initiative, www.emergencywait. com.au, is a website that presents real-time information about estimated waiting times at 58 emergency departments (EDs) in New South Wales. Similar websites have been used in other Australian states, including South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria, as well as overseas, in Ontario, Canada, and in Memphis, Tennessee. I am concerned that this initiative will be counterproductive and will add further congestion to our already overcrowded EDs.