Redirection of low-acuity emergency department patients to nearby medical clinics using an electronic medical support system: effects on emergency department performance indicators.
Assessment of healthcare need
Emergency health service
Healthcare system
Triage
Journal
BMC emergency medicine
ISSN: 1471-227X
Titre abrégé: BMC Emerg Med
Pays: England
ID NLM: 100968543
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
13 Sep 2024
13 Sep 2024
Historique:
received:
19
02
2024
accepted:
27
08
2024
medline:
14
9
2024
pubmed:
14
9
2024
entrez:
13
9
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are associated with higher morbidity and mortality and suboptimal quality-of-care. Most ED flow management strategies focus on early identification and redirection of low-acuity patients to primary care settings. To assess the impact of redirecting low-acuity ED patients to medical clinics using an electronic clinical decision support system on four ED performance indicators. We performed a retrospective observational study in the ED of a Canadian tertiary trauma center where a redirection process for low-acuity patients was implemented. The process was based on a clinical decision support system relying on an algorithm based on chief complaint, performed by nurses at triage and not involving physician assessment. All patients visiting the ED from 2013 to 2017 were included. We compared ED performance indicators before and after implementation of the redirection process (June 2015): length-of-triage, time-to-initial-physician-assessment, length-of-stay and rate of patients leaving without being seen. We performed an interrupted time series analysis adjusted for age, gender, time of visit, triage category and overcrowding. Of 242,972 ED attendees over the study period, 9546 (8% of 121,116 post-intervention patients) were redirected to a nearby primary medical clinic. After the redirection process was implemented, length-of-triage increased by 1 min [1;2], time-to-initial assessment decreased by 13 min [-16;-11], length-of-stay for non-redirected patients increased by 29 min [13;44] (p < 0.001), minus 20 min [-42;1] (p = 0.066) for patients assigned to triage 5 category. The rate of patients leaving without being seen decreased by 2% [-3;-2] (p < 0.001). Implementing a redirection process for low-acuity ED patients based on a clinical support system was associated with improvements in two of four ED performance indicators.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are associated with higher morbidity and mortality and suboptimal quality-of-care. Most ED flow management strategies focus on early identification and redirection of low-acuity patients to primary care settings. To assess the impact of redirecting low-acuity ED patients to medical clinics using an electronic clinical decision support system on four ED performance indicators.
METHODS
METHODS
We performed a retrospective observational study in the ED of a Canadian tertiary trauma center where a redirection process for low-acuity patients was implemented. The process was based on a clinical decision support system relying on an algorithm based on chief complaint, performed by nurses at triage and not involving physician assessment. All patients visiting the ED from 2013 to 2017 were included. We compared ED performance indicators before and after implementation of the redirection process (June 2015): length-of-triage, time-to-initial-physician-assessment, length-of-stay and rate of patients leaving without being seen. We performed an interrupted time series analysis adjusted for age, gender, time of visit, triage category and overcrowding.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Of 242,972 ED attendees over the study period, 9546 (8% of 121,116 post-intervention patients) were redirected to a nearby primary medical clinic. After the redirection process was implemented, length-of-triage increased by 1 min [1;2], time-to-initial assessment decreased by 13 min [-16;-11], length-of-stay for non-redirected patients increased by 29 min [13;44] (p < 0.001), minus 20 min [-42;1] (p = 0.066) for patients assigned to triage 5 category. The rate of patients leaving without being seen decreased by 2% [-3;-2] (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Implementing a redirection process for low-acuity ED patients based on a clinical support system was associated with improvements in two of four ED performance indicators.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39272018
doi: 10.1186/s12873-024-01080-0
pii: 10.1186/s12873-024-01080-0
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Observational Study
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
166Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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