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Ready, Set, Go! Implementing An Electronic Handoff Tool To Decrease Emergency Department Length Of Stay, Jennifer Peterburs

Nursing Research & Professional Development Conference

Background:

According to the CDC’s (2019) review of health care data in 2019, over 150 million patients were seen in Emergency Departments across the United States. Of these patients, more than 20 million were admitted to the hospital. Longer Emergency Department wait times equate to worse patient outcomes, including higher in-hospital mortality rates and increased occurrence of in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Handoff is considered a high-risk activity (Freel & Flaherty, 2021). Studies have shown most effective handoff tools include the use of mnemonics or tools to aid in the organization of critical information (Kear, 2016).

Aim or purpose of the initiative: …

A Nursing Led Initiative In Collaboration With The Performance Of Excellence Center To Change Psychiatric Emergency Department Triage Procedures To Improve Patient Care, Kristen Edmunds, Nicholas Archer, Michell Olshan-Perlmutter, Marquita Boggess

Nursing Research & Professional Development Conference

Background

Psychiatric emergency room visits are often associated with long wait times, leading to agitation and dissatisfaction among patients, delay in care, some patients leaving without receiving care, staff frustration and increased cost. Research indicates that triage guidelines correlate with wait times and patient satisfaction.

Local Problem

Atrium Health Charlotte is a dedicated psychiatric emergency room that has consistently seen an increase in yearly patient visits. Overcrowding and long wait times are commonplace. Last year almost 10,000 patients were seen, and 839 left without being seen. The average time for patients’ length of stay from door to discharge was 245 …

Use Of Rapid Medical Evaluation In The Emergency Department Setting, Cassie Kohl, Meaghan Gallagher, Tricia Urbanik, Ashley Vilona

Nursing Research & Professional Development Conference

Background: Advocate Condell Medical Center in 2022 had an average left without being seen (LWBS) rate of 7.5% with some months exceeding >20% of the patient they serve. Many patients were leaving the emergency department prior to a provider evaluation, which increases the risk of safety events.

Local Problem: The national average for an Emergency Department LWBS rate is

Method: Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) is an emergency department process developed by the Vituity Medical Group to decrease patients leaving prior to medical care and to increase overall team collaboration and engagement. RME is a forward facing provider that screens in …

Implementation Of An Emergency Department Communication Tool To Assist In The Prevention Of Acute Care Readmissions, Matthew Shall, Christopher Griggs, Ronella Eaddy, Denise Comeaux, Wes Hofferbert, Sushma Racharla, George Ross, Zachary Lutwick, Kimberly Price

Nursing Research & Professional Development Conference

Background:

This presentation highlights how nurses from a post-acute care rehabilitation hospital led the way in reducing acute care readmissions though the development and implementation of a standard communication tool. Hospital readmissions have negative impacts to patient care which include higher financial costs, program interruption, and decreased overall functional recovery. We noticed 14 percent of our patients were being readmitted to the hospital after being evaluated by an ED physician. When we investigated the issue, we identified there was a communication gap between the ED and rehab physicians.

Method:

We determined our improvement plan by using the Plan, Do, Study, …

Stay Home: Nurses Spur Decline In Emergency Visit Returns, Deanna Strebig, Amber Koplitz, Heather Ludy

Nursing Research & Professional Development Conference

Background

Approximately 21 million older adults visit the emergency department. Thus, development of patient-centered approaches to care delivery of older adults in this setting are critically important in preventing recidivism. Embedding evidence-based practice into nursing workflow allows nurses to screen, assess, intervene, and refer patients to social services and physical therapy prior to leaving the emergency department. Nurse communication provides actionable information to create the plan of care.

Purpose

A small community hospital utilizes the Identification of Seniors at Risk screening tool to collaboratively initiate a patient-centered approach to care delivery that prevents repeat emergency department visits for older adults …