A new study has confirmed that a simple fix in the way patients are treated in emergency rooms (ERs) can speed up care and reduce the amount of time patients wait before being attended to. The fix involves treating selected patients while they are seated instead of waiting for an ER bed to become available so they can be attended to.
The study, whose findings appeared in the journal Management Science, sought to find a way to speed up patient care without compromising the quality of care delivered.
The researchers started their work by looking at the biggest bottleneck ERs face: the lack of enough beds at these medical facilities. They observed that beds are in short supply and this keeps patients waiting for a lot longer than is necessary just because a bed must first become available before a clinician can attend to the patient.
The team used machine learning and mathematical models to explore how this bottleneck can easily be addressed in order to deliver medical care quickly without increasing the cost of that care.
Their work revealed that during triage, some patients that don’t require complex treatment, such as an IV, can be treated while sitting in a chair. This would leave the available beds for the care of those that need a bed for treatment to be administered.
To test their findings, the team went to the ER at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. They designed five simple questions that triage nurses can use in deciding whether a patient requires a bed or can be treated while sitting in a chair.
They then observed teams using their approach and other teams making decisions without using the method they suggested. The analysis showed that 11 minutes for each stay could be saved when teams used the approach they created in deciding which patients needed beds and which ones could be treated without first securing an available bed. This time was saved without increasing the rate at which patients return to the ER.
The use of “vertical treatment” was so impactful that the head office of Mayo Clinic called their Arizona office to find out what they were doing differently to attain those results, and urged them to keep doing what they were doing.
This novel way of instituting slight changes that deliver outsized results shows that when people put their minds to the challenges faced by hospitals, low-cost solutions can be found. In this method, no special building or additional staff was required. All that was required was space for a chair in which qualifying patients could be treated vertically was required.
If more solutions like this could be found within the health care sector, the beneficial effects could possibly trickle down and eventually result in lower premiums being charged by health insurance providers like Astiva Health.
About BioMedWire
BioMedWire (“BMW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on the latest developments in the Biotechnology (BioTech), Biomedical Sciences (BioMed) and Life Sciences sectors. It is one of 75+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, BMW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, BMW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness.
BMW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
To receive SMS alerts from BioMedWire, “Biotech” to 888-902-4192 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)
For more information, please visit https://www.BioMedWire.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.BioMedWire.com/Disclaimer
BioMedWire
Austin, Texas
www.BioMedWire.com
512.354.7000 Office
Editor@BioMedWire.com
BioMedWire is powered by IBN
