ED Management articles from June 2003

ED Management archives from June 2003

Report puts spotlight on inpatient holds: the No. 1 reason for ED overcrowding: you'll need creative strategies to tackle this dangerous problem.
June 1, 2003... Holding admitted patients waiting for an available bed not only hinders your ability to provide quality care, frustrates staff, and hurts your bottom line, but it also is the single biggest factor resulting in overcrowded EDs, according to a...

Make these changes to cut delays, diversion hours: triage protocols and teams yield dramatic results. (ED Benchmarking Success).
June 1, 2003... A sharp decrease in hours on diversion. Decreased length of stay. Greater staff satisfaction. These three items are on every ED manager's wish list, but they are real-life examples of changes made as a result of one ED's participation in...

Do you give poor care to patients in pain? Use interventions for drug seekers, those in pain.
June 1, 2003... A sickle cell patient is in excruciating pain. A man who comes to your ED frequently always complains of different illnesses to obtain narcotic analgesics. These two patients have completely different needs, but you'll need strategies to...

Letter to narcotic abusers.
June 1, 2003... Dear John Doe: Upon review of your medical records, it has been noted that you have made eight visits to Morristown Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department since April 23, 2003, requesting narcotic treatment for headaches, backache, right...

Does your ED supply interpreter services?
June 1, 2003... Is your ED in compliance with federal regulations for care of non-English-speaking patients and their families? You are required to provide language assistance to patients in your ED, and penalties for failure to comply are severe, including...

EMTALA Q & A.(Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act)
June 1, 2003... [Editor's note: This column is part of an ongoing series that will address reader questions about the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). If you have a question you would like answered, contact Joy Dickinson, Senior Managing...

Schmidt CE, Bottoni T. Improving medication safety and patient care in the emergency department.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... J Emerg Nuts 2003; 29:12-16. Only half of ED staff would report a near-miss drug error if the patient was not harmed, according to this study from the Naval Hospital Jacksonville (FL). The researchers surveyed 58 ED staff to identify...

Save 20 overtime hours with videotaped meetings. (Cost-Saving Tip).
June 1, 2003... Every month, up to 20 hours of overtime are saved in the ED at Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, CA, by videotaping staff meetings and inservices. Because staff can watch the videotaped meetings at their convenience, this prevents...

CE/CME questions.
June 1, 2003... 13. Which is recommended to reduce delays caused by holding inpatients in the ED, according to Robert W. Stein, president of LeNurse? A. Having inpatient nurses do paperwork in the ED for patients waiting for an available bed B....