Table 3 Summary of key concepts, their definition, total number of citations and total number of interviews
|  | Key concepts | Definition of key concepts based on participants’ information | Interviews | Total citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Relationships | Discussion of interactions between ED staff and staff from elsewhere in the hospital, and how these relationships affected and were affected by 4HR/NEAT. | 119 | 5308 |
2 | Characteristics of care in EDs pre- and post-4HR/NEAT | Participants discussed about the characteristics of care in ED before after 4HR/NEAT, and how 4HR/NEAT have changed these characteristics along its implementation. | 119 | 1920 |
3 | Staffing and 4HR/NEAT | Participants’ references to the impact and influence of 4HR/NEAT on staffing. These include creating new roles, changing/shuffling the responsibilities, issues around staff shortage and supply after 4HR/NEAT, etc. | 113 | 1457 |
4 | Recommendations | Participants expressed and explained a number of recommendations based on their experience with 4HR/NEAT implementation. These were suggested to be taken on board if other hospitals/organisations intended to adopt and implement time targets. | 113 | 1070 |
5 | Access block | Interactions and relationships reported in relation to 4HR/NEAT performance and access block as a principal factor associated with ED overcrowding. | 109 | 910 |
6 | 4HR/NEAT introduction & management | Concepts and descriptions relevant to the introduction of 4HR/NEAT into hospitals and how this was managed. | 106 | 880 |
7 | External factors | Participants described a number of factors on which ED has had no control. It included all the factors imposed to ED from the department of health or the hospital executives (e.g., budget cut and changes to the hospital services that influenced ED operation). | 95 | 868 |
8 | Changes to ED related to 4HR/NEAT | All the references and explanations relating to the changes that were brought in as a result of 4HR/NEAT implementation. | 115 | 565 |
9 | 4HR/NEAT performance | References how participants thought their hospital performed in terms of meeting the 4HR/NEAT target. | 103 | 429 |
10 | Medical education and training | Participants’ explanation of how and to what extent 4HR/NEAT have had an influence on medical education and training of ED staff. | 46 | 206 |