Biomaterial Database

Alternative Dispositions for Emergency Department Patients. 2020

Alice Kidder Bukhman, and Christopher W Baugh, and Brian J Yun

Brigham and Women's Faulkner Emergency Department, 1153 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02130, USA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: abukhman@bwh.harvard.edu.

Alternatives to inpatient admission have been shown to be safe and effective for a variety of clinical conditions and can help relieve emergency department (ED) and inpatient crowding. Evidence-based alternatives include use of rapid ED follow-up clinics, observation units, and home hospital programs. Use of accelerated diagnostic pathways and shared decision making can help support clinicians and patients in appropriately choosing an alternative disposition to traditional inpatient admission. However, many institutions struggle to fully embrace possible alternative depositions because of challenges of patient access, clinician and patient comfort with diagnostic uncertainty, and perceived medicolegal risks.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007902	Length of Stay	The period of confinement of a patient to a hospital or other health facility.	Hospital Stay,Hospital Stays,Stay Length,Stay Lengths,Stay, Hospital,Stays, Hospital
D003441	Crowding	An excessive number of individuals, human or animal, in relation to available space.
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
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000076542	Clinical Observation Units	A hospital unit that serves as a dedicated observation area for emergency room patients when a decision to admit or not is unclear. Also known as clinical decision units or short-stay observation units.	Clinical Decision Units,Observation Units,Clinical Decision Unit,Observation Unit
D000080536	Decision Making, Shared	Collaborative process of reaching a decision.	Shared Decision Making
D019091	Critical Pathways	Schedules of medical and nursing procedures, including diagnostic tests, medications, and consultations designed to effect an efficient, coordinated program of treatment. (From Mosby's Medical, Nursing & Allied Health Dictionary, 4th ed)	Care Map,Care Pathways,Clinical Pathways,Clinical Paths,Critical Paths,Care Pathway,Clinical Path,Clinical Pathway,Critical Path,Critical Pathway,Map, Care,Maps, Care,Path, Clinical,Path, Critical,Pathway, Care,Pathway, Clinical,Pathway, Critical
D040841	Resource Allocation	Societal or individual decisions about the equitable distribution of available resources.	Allocation of Resources,Allocative Efficiency,Allocation, Resource,Efficiency, Allocative,Resources Allocation