Emergency Department Operations I: Emergency Medical Services and Patient Arrival

Kenneth Knowles; Gerald Wook Beltran; Lucas Grover

doi:10.1016/j.emc.2020.01.001

Emergency Department Operations I: Emergency Medical Services and Patient Arrival

Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2020 May;38(2):311-321. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2020.01.001.

Authors

Kenneth Knowles¹, Gerald Wook Beltran², Lucas Grover³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199, USA. Electronic address: kenneth.knowlesMD@baystatehealth.org.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199, USA.
³ Department of Emergency Medicine, Baystate Health, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199, USA.

PMID: 32336327
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2020.01.001

Abstract

The emergency department (ED) is by its nature inherently an environment with the potential for chaos because of the high volume and varied types of patients cared for in an ED setting. This article discusses potential system opportunities from the prehospital environment through arrival in the ED before provider evaluation. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act is reviewed in detail. Management and the reduction of risk to waiting room patients and patients who leave without being seen is explored. Description of the risks and mitigation strategies are discussed to decrease risk to patients, providers, and hospitals.

Keywords: ETMALA; Hospital triage; Left without being seen; Risk mitigation; Waiting room safety.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Emergency Medical Services / organization & administration*
Emergency Service, Hospital / organization & administration*
Humans
Patient Admission*
Risk Management