Totally, around 1.8 million visits were made to the country's emergency departments in 2024, which is a decrease of around 0.5 percent compared to 2023.
During the same period, the median of the total stay time at the emergency department was shortened by four minutes – from four hours and 17 minutes to four hours and 13 minutes. When it comes to waiting time for a medical assessment, the median time has decreased by two minutes.
"All groups visiting the emergency department have received shorter waiting times. However, it is still women over 80 years who on average spend the longest time at emergency departments", says Bruno Ziegler, medical expert at the National Board of Health and Welfare in a press release.
There are also large differences around the country. In the regions of Stockholm, Uppsala, Västra Götaland, Halland and Skåne, the median stay time was above the national average. Jönköping and Kalmar had the lowest median stay time, with three hours and four minutes and three hours and twelve minutes, respectively.
There is a clear correlation between the number of visits and waiting time, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare. At the same time, there are examples of emergency departments that have managed to keep waiting times down despite a large number of visits.
