Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding is a problem affecting emergency departments all over the country. The author of this paper currently is employed in an ED that suffers from overcrowding and the subsequent long wait times (WT), increased length of stays (LOS), dissatisfied patients and staff, and patients who leave without being seen (LWBS). The author proposes the implementation of a fast-track (FTA) area at St. Anthony North Health Campus (SANHC) to improve the current situation. She will use the following articles to research and support her proposal before bringing it to the attention of administration. Effects of Fast Track in a University Emergency Department Through the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Study
This article …show more content…
The first model used Doctors to staff the FTA and the other used Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to staff the FTA. It was an observational study using a convenience sample of patients. The results concluded that most patients were satisfied with the FTA, regardless of the model of care. While patient satisfaction was higher in the NP model of care, approximately half the patients stated they would prefer to see a doctor if one were available (Lutze, Ross, Chu, Green, & Dinh, 2013). This article supports the implementation of FTAs in an ED, and furthermore supports staffing them with NPs to achieve higher patient satisfaction …show more content…
Using 33 studies, involving 800,000 patients, they concluded that there was strong scientific evidence to support the use of FTAs in emergency departments. Improvement was noted in WT, LOS, and LWBS (Oredsson et al., 2011). This article supports the author’s proposal of an FTA in the ED at SANHC.
Effects of a Fast-Track Area on Emergency Department Performance
This article in The Journal of Emergency Medicine describes a historical cohort study that was performed to see if an FTA would improve the performance of an adult ED. WTs, LOS, rate of patients who LWBS, mortality and revisits were assessed. Despite the increase in census, FTAs were associated with decreased WTs, LOS, and LWBS, and there were no changes in mortality or revisits (Sanchez, Smally, Grant, & Jacobs, 2006). This article supports the author’s proposed implementation of an FTA to the hospital where she is employed.
Fast Track by Physician Assistants Shortens Waiting and Turnaround Times of Trauma Patients in an Emergency
This article …show more content…
The first model used Doctors to staff the FTA and the other used Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to staff the FTA. It was an observational study using a convenience sample of patients. The results concluded that most patients were satisfied with the FTA, regardless of the model of care. While patient satisfaction was higher in the NP model of care, approximately half the patients stated they would prefer to see a doctor if one were available (Lutze, Ross, Chu, Green, & Dinh, 2013). This article supports the implementation of FTAs in an ED, and furthermore supports staffing them with NPs to achieve higher patient satisfaction …show more content…
Using 33 studies, involving 800,000 patients, they concluded that there was strong scientific evidence to support the use of FTAs in emergency departments. Improvement was noted in WT, LOS, and LWBS (Oredsson et al., 2011). This article supports the author’s proposal of an FTA in the ED at SANHC.
Effects of a Fast-Track Area on Emergency Department Performance
This article in The Journal of Emergency Medicine describes a historical cohort study that was performed to see if an FTA would improve the performance of an adult ED. WTs, LOS, rate of patients who LWBS, mortality and revisits were assessed. Despite the increase in census, FTAs were associated with decreased WTs, LOS, and LWBS, and there were no changes in mortality or revisits (Sanchez, Smally, Grant, & Jacobs, 2006). This article supports the author’s proposed implementation of an FTA to the hospital where she is employed.
Fast Track by Physician Assistants Shortens Waiting and Turnaround Times of Trauma Patients in an Emergency