Biomaterial Database

Managing the storm: an emergency department capacity strategy. 2007

Gwendolyn Burley, and Heather Bendyk, and Catherine Whelchel

Emergency Department, Doctors Hospital, Coral Gables, FL, USA. gwenb@baptisthealth.net

This article assesses the extent to which a team using quality improvement methods could improve the timeliness of the flow of admitted patients through the emergency department in one hospital. Using a structured approach, a multidisciplinary team redesigned the processes for admitting patients from the emergency department to the inpatient unit. Indicators of capacity limitations in the inpatient environment were also identified as triggers for a tiered institutional response to capacity constraints. Three time intervals in the admission process were identified for measuring performance, with comparisons to the same months of the previous year to determine significance. Significant reductions in the median minutes for a majority of the time intervals studied were achieved during the 6-month study period. The data from the study suggest that improvements in patient progression through an emergency department can be achieved with quality improvement methods. Success factors for this and other improvement strategies are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008332	Management Quality Circles	Participation of employees with management as a labor-management team, in decisions pertaining to the operational activities of the organization or industry.	Quality Circles,Circle, Management Quality,Circle, Quality,Circles, Management Quality,Circles, Quality,Management Quality Circle,Quality Circle,Quality Circle, Management,Quality Circles, Management
D011786	Quality Control	A system for verifying and maintaining a desired level of quality in a product or process by careful planning, use of proper equipment, continued inspection, and corrective action as required. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Control, Quality,Controls, Quality,Quality Controls
D004636	Emergency Service, Hospital	Hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of immediate medical or surgical care to the emergency patient.	Emergency Outpatient Unit,Emergency Services Utilization,Hospital Emergency Room,Hospital Emergency Service,Hospital Emergency Services Utilization,Accident and Emergency Department,Emergency Departments,Emergency Hospital Service,Emergency Room,Emergency Units,Emergency Ward,Hospital Service Emergency,Service, Hospital Emergency,Department, Emergency,Departments, Emergency,Emergencies, Hospital Service,Emergency Department,Emergency Hospital Services,Emergency Outpatient Units,Emergency Room, Hospital,Emergency Rooms,Emergency Rooms, Hospital,Emergency Services, Hospital,Emergency Unit,Emergency Wards,Emergency, Hospital Service,Hospital Emergency Rooms,Hospital Emergency Services,Hospital Service Emergencies,Hospital Service, Emergency,Hospital Services, Emergency,Outpatient Unit, Emergency,Outpatient Units, Emergency,Room, Emergency,Room, Hospital Emergency,Rooms, Emergency,Rooms, Hospital Emergency,Service Emergencies, Hospital,Service Emergency, Hospital,Service, Emergency Hospital,Services Utilization, Emergency,Services Utilizations, Emergency,Services, Emergency Hospital,Services, Hospital Emergency,Unit, Emergency,Unit, Emergency Outpatient,Units, Emergency,Units, Emergency Outpatient,Utilization, Emergency Services,Ward, Emergency,Wards, Emergency
D006742	Hospital Bed Capacity	The number of beds which a hospital has been designed and constructed to contain. It may also refer to the number of beds set up and staffed for use.	Bed Capacity, Hospital,Bed Size, Hospital,Bed Capacities, Hospital,Bed Size,Bed Sizes,Bed Sizes, Hospital,Capacities, Hospital Bed,Capacity, Hospital Bed,Hospital Bed Size,Hospital Bed Sizes,Size, Bed,Size, Hospital Bed,Sizes, Bed,Sizes, Hospital Bed,Hospital Bed Capacities
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D017598	Efficiency, Organizational	The capacity of an organization, institution, or business to produce desired results with a minimum expenditure of energy, time, money, personnel, material, etc.	Efficiency, Administrative,Productivity, Organizational,Program Efficiency,Administrative Efficiency,Organizational Productivity,Efficiency, Program,Organizational Efficiency,Program Efficiencies