[Speers]

Help!! We are trying to find a way to comply with JCAHO regulaitons concerning signing in when patients arrive in the ER. Currently we have a clip board where patients give us their name, age, DOB, and chief complaint. The chief complaint aspect is very important to the triage nurse, so he/she is able to call the sickest patient first. We have been struggling to find a system that is confidential. How are your ER's doing this?



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We individually talk to each patient. This is true for both the rural ER I work now and the larger ER I worked in before. If you have a Triage Buddy, that helps. Make the screening short and sweet. I have an EMT that helps screen patients when I am busy. She/he tells me complaint, etc. If it is more than a BooBoo owey, she gets me.
We have protocols for all the big stuff, and she/he can start by ordering tests, ekgs, etc. Put the patients name, DOB, and complaint with the time of arrival on a face sheet. The little stuff goes on the bottom, and the big stuff on the top of the pile!

Quality review is done on the shift report.
Patients waiting over 1 hour are listed and reason why. Not possible in a huge ER, but useful for a lower volume ER.

Good Luck!

Sheez