Enhancing the Psychiatric Emergency Department Triage Process to Optimize Patient Care.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Psychiatric Care
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Emergency departments face increased patient volumes for mental health and substance use disorders.
• This surge leads to overcrowding, extended wait times, and decreased staff satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction in a behavioral health psychiatric emergency department.
• To redesign the triage process by implementing a fast-track protocol for low-complexity cases and integrating a provider into the triage workflow.

Main Methods:

• The Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology was employed to implement a revised triage process.
• Workflow streamlining and waste reduction were key objectives.
• Time metrics were collected and compared from pre- and post-intervention periods.

Main Results:

• Median total length of stay decreased by 110 minutes (38% reduction).
• Time from rooming to provider reduced by 56%, and arrival to provider time was halved (52% reduction).
• The rate of patients leaving without being seen dropped by 40%.

Conclusions:

• A fast-track triage system with an embedded provider effectively reduces emergency department length of stay.
• This model significantly decreases the rate of patients leaving without being seen.
• The integrated approach enhances patient care and staff satisfaction in behavioral health emergency settings.