To complete the PhD study programme, Anders Broens Møllekær presents his PhD dissertation, giving a public lecture followed by a defence on 5 October at 2:30, Auditorium J116-113, entrance  J, level 1, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 161, 8200 Aarhus N.

Title
The organization of Danish emergency departments and patient outcome

Emergency department organization might be associated with increased risk of death within seven days of discharge
Emergency departments are established at 21 new emergency care hospitals at a cost of 5.3 billion euros. A 2007 policy reform, aimed at improving the quality of emergency care, granted the emergency departments self-determination to organize their departments. Thus, different emergency department organizational models exist.

An emergency department provides initial treatment for a broad spectrum of injuries and illnesses, some of which may be life-threatening and require immediate attention. Furthermore, it must be able to discriminate patients who need further hospitalisation from patients who can be safely discharged. Death shortly after ED discharge can be caused by poor quality emergency care or treatment error.

The dissertation generates an organizational design framework, which is subsequently used to describe the organization of Danish emergency departments. Finally, it investigates the risk of death within 7 days of emergency department discharge.

Contact information
Anders Broens Møllekær, MD, MBA