I believe most of the hospitals have the same process for prioritizing beds. Bed assignments are based on individual patient care needs. Bed control prioritizes beds on the basis of level of care and the patient who has been waiting the longest. You mentioned patients who are not critical may wait longer for a hospital bed than a critical patient. With a triage system, the hospital is able to prioritize patients on the basis of clinical priorities to accomplish the flow of patients in a safely manner when the hospital is at its max (Aacharya, Gastmans, & Denier, 2011). The emergency department (ED) has a triage nurse that assesses patients when they come to the ED. The hospital also has a bed control system with members that are nurses and
