ED management : the monthly update on emergency department management
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With fall elections approaching, it's time to revisit your major incident response plan. Multiple practice drills will hone your responses to incidents of different levels of severity. Ensure staff that they will be safe and able to deliver quality care. A hospital incident command system is now a major area of interest for surveyors with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
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Your ED can become an integral part of law enforcement response teams. Health care providers and law enforcement personnel must have special training. Preventive medicine is a critical component of Tactical Emergency Medicine Support (TEMS). TEMS can be a valued community service and improve the public's perception of your facility.
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Poor communication in the ED can dramatically affect patient safety and satisfaction. Insist on open communication to ensure your team leader has the information he or she needs to make decisions. ⋯ With multiple critical patients in the ED simultaneously, a nurse or tech may have to assume temporary leadership for a patient. Review key information after every shift change.
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ED overcrowding leads to lost revenue and service opportunities. Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, CA, dropped diversion hours to zero with Code Emergency Saturation Triage (EST). ⋯ Pre-emptive bed requests can identify patient needs much sooner. Creative staffing, such as creating the position of emergency care admit nurse, can ease the paperwork burden of floor nurses.