When I see a crowded waiting room, I feel we are failing our patients.
During mass causality incidents like 9/11 or Katrina, it is expected that the hospital will suddenly become inundated with an influx of patients and any subsequent overcrowding is to be expected. But on an average day, a crowded waiting room reflects multiple levels of failure; we are failing our patients, failing our staff, failing our community, failing to learn lessons from the past, failing to evolve, failing to prepare, failing to invest, failing to lead, failing to plan, failing to innovate, failing to strategize—but worst of all, we are failing to be safe.
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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 130 million visits to the emergency department (ED) in 2015 (Rui and Kang, 2015). This figure reflects the massive overcrowding experienced in EDs across the country and the number of visits are only expected to rise.
The Institute of Health now identifies ED crowding as, “a critical threat to public health” (Hoot and Aronsky, 2008). It has been shown that ED overcrowding is associated with poorer outcomes for patients, including increased morbidity and increased mortality (D. Jeanmonod and R. Jeanmonod 2018). I would like to develop a project that explores ways of improving ED patient flow and work flow. I feel strongly that improvements in this area will have a positive impact not just in the delivery and quality of care but also in patient satisfaction as well as the overall public image of our healthcare system. |
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References
Hoot, N. R., & Aronsky, D. (2008). Systematic Review of Emergency Department Crowding: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 52(2). doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2008.03.014
Jeanmonod, D., & Jeanmonod, R. (2018). Overcrowding in the Emergency Department and Patient Safety. Vignettes in Patient Safety - Volume 2. doi:10.5772/intechopen.69243
Rui, P., & Kang, K. (2015). National hospital ambulatory medical care survey: 2015 emergency department summary tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/nhamcs_emergency/2015_ed_web_tables.pdf
Hoot, N. R., & Aronsky, D. (2008). Systematic Review of Emergency Department Crowding: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 52(2). doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2008.03.014
Jeanmonod, D., & Jeanmonod, R. (2018). Overcrowding in the Emergency Department and Patient Safety. Vignettes in Patient Safety - Volume 2. doi:10.5772/intechopen.69243
Rui, P., & Kang, K. (2015). National hospital ambulatory medical care survey: 2015 emergency department summary tables. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/nhamcs_emergency/2015_ed_web_tables.pdf
