ED management : the monthly update on emergency department management
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Under a new accreditation standard, EDs and all departments must be prepared to handle an influx, or the risk of an influx, of infectious patients. Collaborate with your infection control committee, disaster management committee, local board of health, and other providers to develop protocols and policies. Hold disaster drills in which you must handle infectious patients. ED staff, particularly the triage nurses, need training in early recognition of presenting symptoms of infectious diseases.
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You can see dramatic real-world improvements with benchmarking. Some facilities benchmark by modeling a single facility with a successful program. Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA, reduced its time from triage to ED bed from 37.8 minutes monthly average to 16.8 minutes monthly average. Saint Rita's Medical Center in Lima, OH, slashed overall length of stay from 190 minutes to 150 minutes.
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As the community's front door, the ED is the first to feel the impact of a sudden influx of patients following a disaster. Make sure you have a plan in place to use unconventional space, such as the cafeteria, should the need arise. Adjusting your triage protocols and canceling elective surgeries can free additional space. Know ahead of time which doctors and nurses will be available if the need arises for additional staff.
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You can lay the foundation for smooth transfers from other facilities long before you are asked to accept their patients. Educate community referring physicians about your procedures through regular meetings and mailings. Create a single point of contact to handle all requests and patient questions. Standardize your admission forms, and continually update your processes.