Borderline situations in the Emergency Department of the General Hospital of Rethymno: A qualitative approach to understanding experiences and challenges

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The Emergency Department (ED) is the first point of contact for people in need of urgent medical care. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is ready to handle medical emergencies such as trauma, cardiac difficulties, respiratory problems and serious infections. The problems that arise in EDs, especially in borderline situations, are a global truth and there have been many relevant studies on this type of situation.

In order to investigate the reality of EDs in borderline situations, an examination was made of the experiences and challenges of the medical and nursing staff in the ED, as well as the strategies they use to cope with the borderline situations that arise. For this reason, qualitative research was carried out through interviews between 28/8/2025 and 3/10/2025. 8 nurses and 2 doctors participated in the research and their selection was made with the help of convenience sampling. A 7-question interview form was used.

The results of the survey showed that overcrowding in Emergency Departments (EDs) is a common problem, with weaknesses in terms of triage due to lack of staff or lack of administrative support. Teamwork is vital for ED workers to manage adversity. Disagreements and conflicts that exist are often due to staff fatigue or confusion due to administrative inadequacy.

As coping measures, workers suggest psychological support and improving the organization and administration of EDs. Also suggested are the improvement of patient reception areas and the redesign of logistics.

Keywords: ICT, Challenges, Experiences, Employees, Qualitative research