Development and Implementation of Rapid Discharge Plan in a Municipal Healthcare System

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Emergency Preparedness
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Patient demand can exceed hospital capacity during emergencies like natural disasters or staffing shortages.
• Existing reverse triage tools are often extensive and difficult to use in crisis situations.
• The largest municipal healthcare system in the US sought a streamlined approach to patient discharge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a concise and user-friendly plan for rapid patient discharge.
• To create a synthesized tool for emergency surge capacity management.
• To address the limitations of current extensive and siloed discharge tools.

Main Methods:

• Expert consultation and review of existing literature (peer-reviewed, gray, and internal documents).
• Development of a 7-page rapid action checklist.
• Synthesis of critical information into an actionable tool.

Main Results:

• A 7-page rapid action checklist, the Risk-based, Abbreviated, Patient Identification Discharge (RAPID) tool, was created.
• The RAPID tool was successfully implemented during a resident labor action in May 2023.
• The tool demonstrated utility beyond its initial development system.

Conclusions:

• The RAPID tool offers a practical solution for enhancing hospital surge capacity through efficient patient discharge.
• The tool's successful implementation highlights its potential for broader application in emergency management.
• Further validation and refinement of the RAPID tool are recommended for future use.