Efficient ED design is important both to patient care and to reduce waste and provide, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.
Efficient triage areas and departmental layouts that separate low-acuity patients from those in need of more acute care can be central to increasing efficiency and decreasing wait times.
At Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md., a rapid clinical evaluation area and several blood draw stations near the front of the ED help to move low-acuity patients through the treatment process efficiently, the article said.
In the ED at Hartford HealthCare’s MidState Medical Center, Meriden, Conn., patients are greeted in the lobby and registered and assessed by a doctor or nurse; there’s no front area called a waiting room.
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