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Rapid Triage & Treatment RAPID TRIAGE & TREATMENT Where QUALITY CARE and EFFICIENCY MEET in the Emergency Department by Hannah Fier The Elliot Emergency Department places department to seeing a healthcare provider the utmost value on both the effectiveness was only 18 to 24 minutes. Thus, the and speed with which patients are treated as impact of both the efficiency in caring for the demands for emergency department less acute patients and the ability to free up care escalate. This escalation has resulted in beds for sicker and critically injured patients wait times growing and Emergency has been extraordinary for the doctors and Department beds becoming full and scarce nurses. “I’m really proud of the emergency for hours. department team and our RTT program,” As many hospitals struggle with similar said Joseph Guarnaccia, MD, Medical constraints, Elliot has initiated a Director Emergency Services. “We hoped performance improvement strategy to RTT would make a difference by lowering address these issues. The solution is an wait times, freeing up beds and allowing us innovative approach to emergency to care for patients more quickly. I just don’t department care called Rapid Triage and think any of us believed it would have this Treatment (RTT). RTT is a process meant positive an impact literally from the day we to decrease the amount of time patients launched it,” added Guarnaccia. must wait to receive care. Rather than have an Emergency Department full of patients What do patients have to say? awaiting treatment, RTT allows the Feedback and honesty about the patient Emergency Department Rapid Triage and experience in RTT is critical to its growth, Treatment Team to see patients far more refinement and long-term success. Many quickly and without the use of an area and therefore do compromise privacy patients have had nothing but positive emergency room bed. somewhat for being seen in a more timely comments about the program, with 47% manner. This expedites the entire clinical of RTT patients saying that they were How does RTT work? All of the care process and allows far more patients to “extremely satisfied” and another 44% patients who present to the Emergency be treated in a reduced amount of time, saying they were “satisfied.” One patient Department are triaged to determine the while allowing more critically ill patients to stated, “No other ER care has been this nature of their illness or injury resulting in receive the more intensive care that they smooth,” and another claimed that they the visit. Patients who are deemed require from a traditional emergency received “very quick care [and were] very appropriate for RTT (those who can be department bed. happy.” Another patient referenced that treated without the likelihood of she, “Liked the RTT care room better than complications and who can be cared for Is RTT Making a Difference? While a bed.” rather quickly) are given the option of RTT is still just a few months old, the utilizing the RTT service, or waiting among initial results are very encouraging. As Next Steps The Elliot expects the RTT the general population in the main demonstrated through our Urgent Care program to serve as a model for the Emergency Department (which could result program, patients value speed. From Dec 2, performance improvement possibilities that in substantially longer wait time). Those 2014 through Jan 2, 2015 there were 317 exist in healthcare. The Emergency who opt for RTT begin the diagnosis and patients treated in the RTT program who Department has shown that they have treatment process almost immediately, never saw an emergency department bed. decreased the stress and frustration that however, the care being delivered is in a The total visit, on average, for these patients comes with awaiting treatment, while treatment chair located in a specific was 88 minutes from time of arrival to time providing expert clinical care in a new-style common area within the Emergency of departure. The average length of time an setting. Department. Several patients share this RTT patient waited between entering the.
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