title: Turn to staff for dramatic improvement in wait times, productivity.
abstract: Baylor Medical Center in Garland,TX, has been able to drastically reduce ED wait times, as well as the LWBS rate by streamlining the triage process and implementing a staff-driven improvement effort aimed at identifying inefficiencies and replacing them with solutions that work. The result is 11 beds of added capacity just from changes in patient flow. A cross section of volunteers from the ED staff reviewed metrics and devised solutions that they felt would work best to boost efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks. Solutions included letting low-acuity patients move themselves between care settings, freeing the charge nurse from patient care duties so that he or she could oversee patient flow, and empowering physician-nurse teams to see patients more quickly. ED managers say leadership is important, but letting staff drive the improvement process is key to their success.
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006758:Hospital Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D014850:Waiting Lists