Critical Path Network
In-room registration affects ED LOS
Gorelick MH, Yen K, Yun HJ. The effect of in-room registration on emergency department length of stay. Ann Emerg Med 2005; 45:128-133.
In-room registration reduces patients’ total length of stay significantly, says this study from the Children’s Hospital and Health System in Milwaukee.
The researchers compared emergency department (ED) visits from 2000-2003 after implementing a process in which patients were placed directly into a room after triage, and registration was completed after being seen by a physician.
In-room registration resulted in an average decrease of length of stay of 15 minutes.
The time savings were greater than expected, since the act of registration takes only five minutes, note the researchers.
"We speculate that this effect may be a result of a change in the mindset of the ED staff, from seeing the waiting room, and waiting in general, as acceptable and even expected to a view of expediting care in all phases of the ED visit," they wrote.
The researchers noted that previous studies have shown similar benefits, but generally with changing multiple processes simultaneously.
"Changing a single process of care — going from a serial to a parallel, in-room registration process — was associated with a significantly decreased length of stay in an academic pediatric ED, even with adjustment for other factors found to influence length of stay, including ED census, admissions from the ED, hospital occupancy, and month of the year," they concluded.
In-room registration reduces patients total length of stay significantly, says this study from the Childrens Hospital and Health System in Milwaukee.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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