Reducing Length of Stay in the Emergency Department: Analyzing the Factors and Quality Improvement Interventions
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Length of Stay
- Sponsor
- National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch
- Enrollment
- 72000
- Primary Endpoint
- length of stay for ED admissions.
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 8 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Emergency department (ED) crowding has become an international challenge in the recent decades.
Length of stay (LOS) is a useful marker to monitor ED crowding. Searching for the possible causes and reducing barriers may have the greatest impact on EDLOS.
Therefore, the investigators assembled a multidisciplinary team for improvement of the ED process, to undergo assessments of ED patient flow with the spirit of lean-sigma methodologies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate a Lean-sigma-based initiative to lessen EDLOS.
Detailed Description
Lean aims to smooth out the workflow and to eliminate wastes. In the ED settings, lean principles can display the process of the ED patient flow. Six sigma, a complementary strategy, has the merit to compensate the potential weakness of Lean through a data-driven process. Currently, a combination of Lean and Six sigma methodologies develops to solve the problems of workflow. It became clear that concurrent multifaceted interventions were needed to reduce EDLOS. Therefore, the investigators assembled a multidisciplinary quality improvement team for improvement of the ED process, to undergo assessments of ED patient flow with the spirit of lean-sigma methodologies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate a Lean-sigma-based initiative to lessen EDLOS.
Investigators
Wan-Ching Lien
Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, NTUH Hsin-Chu branch
National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •the patients were registered in the ED from Jan, 2015 to Dec, 2015.
Exclusion Criteria
- •the patients were excluded because of left without seeing a physician.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
length of stay for ED admissions.
Time Frame: 12 months
Length of stay was defined as the time from patient registration to leaving the ED.
Secondary Outcomes
- boarding time for ED admissions(12months)
- decision time for ED admissions(12 months)
- the percentage of LOS over 24 hours in all ED patients.(12 months)