Rodrigo Blasco
Director of Quality
Emergency Hospital Systems
Our quality department would like to give major kudos to Texas Emergency Hospital (TEH) emergency department and medical surgery for reducing their ED throughput from 383 minutes in the third quarter (Q3) to 285 minutes in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020.
The ED throughput is an important measure of efficiency in the emergency room. It tracks the time interval between the arrival of a patient to the emergency room and their assignment to a medical bed. Basically, this measure examines the time patients spend in the emergency room before receiving treatment.
The reduction in ER throughput is directly related to an improvement in health outcomes. In contrast, a lengthy ER throughput is associated with a delay in the administration of life-saving medications, increased suffering, and rush, and or unpleasant treatment environment.
Overall, the reduction in ER throughput is associated with:
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- A decrease in those leaving the ER before seen.
- Decrease in ER crowding
- Improved quality outcomes for the patient
- Increase in patient satisfaction.
STEMI or ST-Elevation myocardial infarction is a very serious heart attack in which every minute counts. At Deerbrook HOPD, TEH and CEH, we have been able to improve the recommended transfer out- time for patients with STEMI.
Patients with acute STEMI defined by characteristic symptoms of myocardial ischemia with diagnostic ST elevation on ECG, should be transferred to a PCI-capable hospital in less than 30 minutes (door-in/ door-out). The early use of primary angioplasty in STEMI patients results in a significant reduction of their mortality and morbidity. The earliest a primary coronary intervention is provided, the more effective it will be. Our ER teams have exceeded all as they have demonstrated to perform faster evaluations, assessments, and transfers.
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- TEH: 24 minutes and 37 minutes
- Deerbrook: 39 minutes
The quality department remains committed to monitoring inpatient and outpatient measures (among other performance indicators) and providing exceptional service to all who might need it.
