Creative space use slashes wait times.
Lack of space is a common complaint heard in EDs, but as the leadership of the ED at Jersey City (NJ) Medical Center has shown, there are creative ways to get the most out of the space you have to work with, and at the same time speed up your patient flow. The ED used the following strategies to reduce its average wait times from 3-4 hours down to 30 minutes: A two-bedded patient room was converted into a predischarge area with treatment chairs that can accommodate six patients. Several two-bed cubicles now can be converted into three-bed areas with the use of additional curtain divid-ers. A shift to bedside registration also contributed to moving patients into treatment more quickly.
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014850:Waiting Lists