Impact of the population pyramid on the ED

A country’s population pyramid can affect the qualityand demand for emergency departments in severalways. Emergency departament (ED) may need specializedresources and equipment to meet the population’sneeds. In this research, we present an analysis ofscenarios through agent-based modeling and simulation.We analyzed the population pyramids of Spain,Argentina, and Paraguay to provide insight into howdemographic structure impacts the length of stay (LoS)and the need for medical and nursing staff. This canhelp policymakers and health managers better planhealth resources and services in each country. We verifiedthe evolution of the parameters, length of stay(LoS), and the occupation of doctors and nurses dependingon different scenarios, such as the age of thepatients and the number of patients arriving at thehospital, and how it can lead to saturation of the ED.Through several scenarios analyzed through simulations,we were able to conclude that the age pyramid ofthe patients treated at the ED of a hospital affects thedemand for services, the complexity of cases, the needfor specialized care in human and material resources,as well as waiting time and congestion in the ED. Saturationin the ED due to increased patient arrivals cannegatively affect the quality of medical care (due tothe shortage of human resources, materials, beds, andboxes), patient safety, and the saturation of medicaland nursing staff. Implementing measures to managedemand and optimize available resources effectivelyis essential to ensure adequate care for all patients inEDs.