Matching needs to services: the quick response. Case study: St George Hospital and Community Health Services Best...

A Quick Response Program (QRP) was developed and implemented at St George Hospital during 1995 and 1996. The program sought to improve the service provided to elderly people presenting to the emergency department by offering a new rapid response service pathway to community-based care. Emergency department discharge planning and crisis intervention evolved as important QRP functions during the program's life. Evaluation findings indicated that QRP penetration into the elderly sub-acute emergency department patient population was high, and that hospital admissions were avoided without affecting emergency department process times. Health outcomes were not compromised by the program, and patient and general practitioner satisfaction were high. The program grappled with the inherent conflict of interest between the aims of the hospital (acute care services) and those of the community service (support and maintenance). The program sought to bridge the gap between these service parameters in the name of meeting patient needs.