Hallways

[emtb2rn]

Didn't want to hijack the er redesign thread so here goes:

For those who do not have hallway pts, what do you do when your rooms are full? Medics coming in with whatever they're bringing which needs a room. Or the "i'm having the big one" chest pain walks up to triage. You don't pull a stable pt out to the hallway to free up a room?

[SJGH1982]

Sadly - we have hall patients approximately 70% of the time. Thats not including the 3 exam rooms that we have pushed stretchers into, the cast room that also doubles as a place to put a stretcher, the alcove by the linen cart - the person in the family room getting their IV med - then going home. Then all of a sudden you have to make room for a trauma or chest pain or sick paeds. NO FUN. But ya do what ya gotta do and juggle the patients around. Sometimes pulling more people out into the hall way to accomodate the new ones. We also have two cardiac/monitored beds and two big trauma rooms and a minor procedure room - as well as a 5 bed observation room - and Yep! - you guessed it. We could have upwards of 18 patients on stretchers by nights end if there are no empty beds on the floors. Fun times in the ER. So we work as a small unit - doing all the routine things that the "admitted waiting for bed" patients require. As well as handling all the urgent/emergency stuff.