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Consider these methods to improve patient flow

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, March 22, 2007

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A recent survey conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and software company TeleTracking shows that 65% of respondents surveyed believe that patient flow is an extremely serious problem in their hospitals.

These results confirm what hospital officials have suspected for some time-patient flow has become a priority for upper management, which means hospital staff should expect to see changes intended to improve flow.

There are alternatives to building a bigger hospital:

• Use a "bed czar." The czar keeps in contact with the hospital's units to maintain constantly updated information about the space availability throughout the facility. He or she can then coordinate bed cleaning after a patient is discharged, check for a patient in line for a room in that unit, and transfer that patient to the newly cleaned room.
• Designate discharge beds, or a discharge room. The space is used for patients who no longer need medical attention but have not yet been discharged. Using dedicated space for these patients frees up hospital rooms and medical devices for patients who need them.

To get more information, go to Briefings on Patient Safety (BOPS). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire March issue of BOPS. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of BOPS have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their March issue.

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