ED management : the monthly update on emergency department management
-
To address time and space challenges in the midst of surging demand, the ED at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, PA, turned to the split-flow model, an evidence-based practice that relies heavily on the queuing theory to improve patient throughput. In less than one year, the approach has enabled administrators to reduce door-to-physician times from an average of 47 minutes to 23.5 minutes, and overall length-of-stay in the ED for discharged patients has been slashed by 21 minutes. ⋯ They may then be moved to a holding area while awaiting test results. Patients are constantly moving in the split-flow model, so it is important to pay close attention to handoffs. Patients will begin the process with one nurse and finish with another.