How the emergency department throughput at North Adams Regional Hospital (MA) was improved by undergoing a lean process assessment is described in this brief article. Among the changes was instituting a 15-second triage, which occurs in the triage room with the nurse asking the reason why the patient is there and looking at the patient’s color and overall condition, before taking the patient to an exam room. The next two phases of triage are “quick triage,” and “data triage.” The lean process assessment is credited with having cut ED wait time by more than half.
Source: Lean-driven improvements eliminate waste, boost patient satisfaction in a matter of weeks. ED Management;25(12):136-138, Dec. 2013. Click here for publisher’s website: http://www.ahcmedia.com/public/products/ED-Management.html Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Efficiency, Emergency department, Posted by Kim Garber | Tagged: Emergency deparment triage |
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