Evaluation of the fast track unit of a university emergency department.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the newly developed fast track (FT) area in a University-affiliated emergency department. The goals of the FT unit included reducing patients' length of stay, improving patients' satisfaction, and decreasing ED overcrowding.


METHODS
An exploratory descriptive design used to investigate length of stay in the emergency department, the rate of patients who left without being seen, unscheduled return visits to the emergency department within 72 hours of being seen, and patient satisfaction.


RESULTS
During the evaluation period, 5995 patients were seen in the ED fast track area. The average time patients spent in the emergency department was 4.36 hours. The average time in room for the FT area was 1.97 hours. The left-without-being-seen rate for this time period for the main emergency department was 7%; the rate for the FT area was 4%. Additionally, 100% of respondents who completed a patient satisfaction survey in the FT area rated the care received by the nurse practitioner (NP) as good or excellent.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the average time in room and overall length of stay did not meet expectations, patients did move more quickly through the department after the addition of the FT unit. Patient satisfaction data suggested that the FT staffed by NPs is a welcome addition to the emergency department. The findings provide direction for the future study of NP utilization in the emergency department.
Nash
Kathleen
K
University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Nursing, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX 77555-1029, USA. kanash@utmb.edu
Zachariah
Brian
B
Nitschmann
Jennifer
J
Psencik
Benjamin
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003441:Crowding; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D013996:Time and Motion Studies