Coordinating the discharge of hospital patients before 12:00 noon can significantly improve the flow of patients in emergency departments (EDs) by making more inpatient beds available to emergency patients, according to a report released by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The report recommends other high-impact, low-cost solutions to address the problem of holding or “boarding” patients who have been admitted to the hospital in the ED, a primary cause of overcrowding.
The report, Emergency Department Crowding: High-Impact Solutions, includes other recommendations, including moving admitted patients out of the ED to inpatient areas. With each unit taking a small number of patients, the burden of boarding is more evenly spread throughout the hospital. Also, coordinating the scheduling of elective patients and surgical cases is another approach; studies demonstrate that the uneven influx of elective patients (heaviest early in the week) is a prime contributor to exceeding capacity, said the researchers. Download the report.
