Emergency department overcrowding, mortality and the 4-hour rule in Western Australia

Data not correctly labelled: In “Emergency department overcrowding, mortality and the 4-hour rule in Western Australia” in the 6 February 2012 issue of the Journal (Med J Aust 2012; 196: 122-126), there was an error in Box 1 (page 123). Data under “Hospital 1” should have been shown as “Hospital 2”; data under “Hospital 2” should have been shown as “Hospital 3”; and data under “Hospital 3” should have been shown as “Hospital 1”. The sentences in the Results describing this data (page 124) should have read, “The relative mortality rates, and the absolute rate reductions for Hospitals 2 and 3 were similar for the last two periods, while Hospital 1 had less decline”, and “There was some evidence of heterogeneity of monthly decline (P = 0.03) within the three tertiary hospitals, with a smaller monthly decline in Hospital 1”.

There was also an error in Box 4 (page 124). The open squares represent data for Hospital 1 (not 2); black triangles represent Hospital 2 (not 3); black diamonds represent Hospital 3 (not 1).