The Quick Response Team: a pilot project

The Quick Response Team, consisting of physicians, nurses and social workers in an emergency room setting, conducted a five month pilot project whose overall goal was to eliminate unnecessary admissions to an acute care hospital. This paper reports on the three social work objectives of the program: high risk screening and direct intervention, including assessment, short-term counselling, information, and referral; follow-up services; and social work coverage to all units after hours. Over a 4 month period 11.6% of all patients in the emergency room were assessed by the social work staff and 24 non-acute admissions were deferred. The results of the study confirm the effectiveness of a social work presence in the emergency department in reducing non-acute admissions and in providing continuity of care for patients at high social risk.