Creating an Enhanced Triage Area Improves Emergency Department Throughput

The majority of emergency departments in the US experience overcrowding. This trend is likely to continue due to multiple economic stressors, use of the emergency department as a healthcare safety net, and other factors.Process improvements in the emergency department are best effected when resources are committed to 1 of 3 areas typically responsible for bottlenecks: triage, tests and treatments, or patient discharge/admission. We described one solution that dramatically affected the triage process, improved our ability to respond to increasing patient volume, and enabled revenue recovery through a decrease in our LWBS rate (Figure). Establishment of Unit 45 has improved satisfaction and morale on the part of the staff, the hospital, and most importantly, the patients. Because of cooperative teamwork and “out-of-the-box” thinking, we were able to create a highly acceptable solution to a frustrating situation and maintain our focus of providing the best patient care possible.