Wait Time For Treatment In Hospital Emergency Departments 2009

This book is dedicated to improving healthcare through reducing delays experienced by patients. With an interdisciplinary approach, this new edition, divided into five sections, begins by examining healthcare as an integrated system. Chapter 1 provides a hierarchical model of healthcare, rising from departments, to centers, regions and the “macro system.” A new chapter demonstrates how to use simulation to assess the interaction of system components to achieve performance goals, and Chapter 3 provides hands-on methods for developing process models to identify and remove bottlenecks, and for developing facility plans. Section 2 addresses crowding and the consequences of delay. Two new chapters (4 and 5) focus on delays in emergency departments, and Chapter 6 then examines medical outcomes that result from waits for surgeries. Section 3 concentrates on management of demand. Chapter 7 presents breakthrough strategies that use real-time monitoring systems for continuous improvement. Chapter 8 looks at the patient appointment system, particularly through the approach of advanced access. Chapter 9 concentrates on managing waiting lists for surgeries, and Chapter 10 examines triage outside of emergency departments, with a focus on allied health programs Section 4 offers analytical tools and models to support analysis of patient flows. Chapter 11 offers techniques for scheduling staff to match patterns in patient demand. Chapter 12 surveys the literature on simulation modeling, which is widely used for both healthcare design and process improvement. Chapter 13 is new and demonstrates the use of process mapping to represent a complex regional trauma system. Chapter 14 provides methods for forecasting demand for healthcare on a region-wide basis. Chapter 15 presents queueing theory as a method for modeling waits in healthcare, and Chapter 16 focuses on rapid delivery of medication in the event of a catastrophic event. Section 5 focuses on achieving change. Chapter 17 provides a diagnostic for assessing the state of a hospital and using the state assessment to select improvement strategies. Chapter 18 demonstrates the importance of optimizing care as patients transition from one care setting to the next. Chapter 19 is new and shows how to implement programs that improve patient satisfaction while also improving flow. Chapter 20 illustrates how to evaluate the overall portfolio of patient diagnostic groups to guide system changes, and Chapter 21 provides project management tools to guide the execution of patient flow projects.

Second in a series of publications from the Institute of Medicine's Quality of Health Care in America project Today's health care providers have more research findings and more technology available to them than ever before. Yet recent reports have raised serious doubts about the quality of health care in America. Crossing the Quality Chasm makes an urgent call for fundamental change to close the quality gap. This book recommends a sweeping redesign of the American health care system and provides overarching principles for specific direction for policymakers, health care leaders, clinicians, regulators, purchasers, and others. In this comprehensive volume the committee offers: A set of performance expectations for the 21st century health care system. A set of 10 new rules to guide patient-clinician relationships. A suggested organizing framework to better align the incentives inherent in payment and accountability with improvements in quality. Key steps to promote evidence-based practice and strengthen clinical information systems. Analyzing health care organizations as complex systems, Crossing the Quality Chasm also documents the causes of the quality gap, identifies current practices that impede quality care, and explores how systems approaches can be used to implement change.

Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ book that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Environmental Health. The editors have built Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Environmental Health in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Issues in National, Regional, and Environmental Health and Medicine: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

According to Transforming Health Care Scheduling and Access, long waits for treatment are a function of the disjointed manner in which most health systems have evolved to accommodate the needs and the desires of doctors and administrators, rather than those of patients. The result is a health care system that deploys its most valuable resource--highly trained personnel--inefficiently, leading to an unnecessary imbalance between the demand for appointments and the supply of open appointments. This study makes the case that by using the techniques of systems engineering, new approaches to management, and increased patient and family involvement, the current health care system can move forward to one with greater focus on the preferences of patients to provide convenient, efficient, and excellent health care without the need for costly investment. Transforming Health Care Scheduling and Access identifies best practices for making significant improvements in access and system-level change. This report makes recommendations for principles and practices to improve access by promoting efficient scheduling. This study will be a valuable resource for practitioners to progress toward a more patient-focused "How can we help you today?" culture.

With over 136.3 million patient visits to the Emergency Department, emergency nurses are not only in high demand but a continuously growing segment of the nursing profession. Emergency nurses find themselves in high-risk, faced-paced, physically and emotionally demanding, and difficult situations on a constant bases, which many nurses will describe as both stressful and surprisingly, extremely fulfilling. But there are so many variables, moving pieces, and different roles when it comes to emergency nurses. How do you begin to understand or know if this is the right career for you when there is so much to know? Emergency Nurse: The Profession, the Pathway, and the Practice provides students, new nurses, and existing emergency nurses the tools and information they need to pursue and sustain a successful career in emergency healthcare. Author Jeff Solheim informs readers about the career opportunities that exist within emergency nursing, introduces nurses to the emergency department and how it differs from other healthcare settings, and explains the challenges and patient populations that emergency nurses will face on a regular basis. Filled with fun facts, notes, and practical advice, this book is a fantastic resource for a nurse eager to learn more about emergency care.

Over time, a country’s healthcare system typically undergoes a number of developments as new demands emerge from the public and new legislation is passed from the government. These systems are composed of a number of interconnected parts, each one vital to the overall success of the system. Flipping Health Care through Retail Clinics and Convenient Care Models addresses the present state of the health system by focusing on current trends and future developments that could assist in delivering accessible and cost-effective medical care to the general public. Bringing together components of the present and future, this publication serves as an essential tool for students and researchers who want to develop a thorough understanding of the changing scope of the health industry in the public sphere.