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Related Experiment Videos

Team assignment system: expediting emergency department care.

Pankaj B Patel1, David R Vinson

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The Permanente Medical Group, Sacramento, CA, USA. Pankaj.Patel@kp.org

Annals of Emergency Medicine
|November 26, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Implementing an emergency department (ED) team assignment system reduced patient wait times for physician assessment and decreased the number of patients leaving without being seen. This new system also improved overall patient satisfaction with care.

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Area of Science:

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Healthcare Systems Management
  • Patient Flow Optimization

Background:

  • Emergency departments (EDs) face challenges in managing patient flow and ensuring timely physician assessment.
  • Traditional ED staffing models may not always optimize patient care delivery and satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and implement a novel team assignment system in an ED setting.
  • To evaluate the impact of this system on key performance indicators including time to physician assessment, LWBS rates, and patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • A team assignment system was implemented, with each team comprising 1 emergency physician, 2 nurses, and 1 technician.
  • Patient outcomes were compared before and after the system's implementation using data on time to physician assessment, LWBS percentage, and patient satisfaction surveys.

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  • The study was conducted at a suburban community hospital with an annual ED census of approximately 39,000.

    • Main Results:

    • Mean time to physician assessment decreased by 9.5 minutes (71.3 to 61.8 minutes).
    • The percentage of patients seen within 1 hour increased by 7.7%, and those waiting over 3 hours decreased by 6.0%.
    • The rate of patients leaving without being seen (LWBS) decreased by 0.8%, and patient satisfaction scores improved across physician care, staff courtesy, and care coordination.

    Conclusions:

    • The implementation of an ED team assignment system is associated with significant improvements in operational efficiency.
    • The system led to reduced wait times and a lower LWBS rate, enhancing the patient experience.
    • This model demonstrates a positive impact on patient satisfaction and efficient ED resource utilization.