Program Type
Graduate
Faculty Advisor
Shelly Randall
Document Type
Poster
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Location
Online
Start Date
18-4-2024 8:30 AM
Abstract
In the United States, emergency department overcrowding is a growing national health issue that negatively affects patient experiences in health care. This Quality Improvement (QI) project aimed to improve patient throughput in a pediatric Emergency Department (ED) by implementing a designated fast-track area. A fast-track area provides medical treatment to low acuity patients, which can be evaluated and treated quickly to reduce overcrowding in the emergency room. The setting for this QI project was a 21-bed acute care pediatric hospital in Texas with an annual census of approximately 46,000 patients. The PDCA served as the framework to develop and measure any improvement in patient throughput in the ER; data collection included walk-out rates, patient experience ratings, discharge length of stay for low acuity, and discharge length of stay for all. The 60-day post-implementation results showed improvement in all areas, particularly the walk-out rate decreased by 90%. In conclusion, implementing a designated fast-track area in a pediatric ED has decreased overcrowding in the ED and improved patient throughput.
Recommended Citation
Long, Blythe, "Improving Throughput in a Pediatric ED by Designating a Fast-Track Area" (2024). ATU Research Symposium. 4.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2024/2024/4
Improving Throughput in a Pediatric ED by Designating a Fast-Track Area
Online
In the United States, emergency department overcrowding is a growing national health issue that negatively affects patient experiences in health care. This Quality Improvement (QI) project aimed to improve patient throughput in a pediatric Emergency Department (ED) by implementing a designated fast-track area. A fast-track area provides medical treatment to low acuity patients, which can be evaluated and treated quickly to reduce overcrowding in the emergency room. The setting for this QI project was a 21-bed acute care pediatric hospital in Texas with an annual census of approximately 46,000 patients. The PDCA served as the framework to develop and measure any improvement in patient throughput in the ER; data collection included walk-out rates, patient experience ratings, discharge length of stay for low acuity, and discharge length of stay for all. The 60-day post-implementation results showed improvement in all areas, particularly the walk-out rate decreased by 90%. In conclusion, implementing a designated fast-track area in a pediatric ED has decreased overcrowding in the ED and improved patient throughput.