The role of activity-related groups in assessing workload in the accident and emergency department.

Workload of the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department at Barnet General Hospital was studied over a 1-year period. All new patients were divided into Activity-Related Groups (ARGs). Doctor work hours, for the year, were calculated utilizing the ARGs. This provided an estimate of the minimum required staffing level. ARGs are a potentially useful tool in auditing workload of individual doctors and the department as a whole.