Abstract
The Emergency Department (ED) is a service dedicated to providing immediate assistance to the urgent requests of the population. When the ED is in a situation where its normal operation is hampered by excessive healthcare demand - number of patients waiting and beign treated - compared to the physical, human or structural resources needed to meet it, this is called overcrowding. The causes that determine the phenomenon of overcrowding include input factors, internal structural factors(throughput) and output factors. The various Regional Health Services in Italy have developed, or are developing, interventions to reduce the occurrence of ED overcrowding. Numerous initiatives have been launched at Lombard public health companies in the three phases of the Emergency Department operations flow. The Emerging problems in the emergency room of Lombardy require immediate interventions, with particular attention to territorial medicine and basic health care. The aim is to reduce the overload of staff and facilities, improving patient management and optimizing the use of available resources.