mom2special3

Management wants to change and speed up the flow through the ED. They want someone (yet to be determine who - triage RN, LPN, etc) to bring back a patient anytime a bed is empty. We currently assign an RN as one is available and the RN brings the patient to the room, gets the history etc.(Triage has already occured and high risk or critical patients are brought back immediatly) At times beds are empty for a variety of reasons - ongoing conscious sedation or critical patients and not enough nursing staff, inability of some nurses to manage muliple patients, appropriate bed (pelvic or eye equipment) not available, etc. At this time we do not assign nurses to certain rooms for the entire shift but are considering this as part of this change. Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on moving patients through the ED process quickly and safely?

As the triage nurse, I hate this phrase - usually said with great drama in a loud voice the the waiting room. "I have been waiting so long, if I was having a heart attack. I would be dead by now". I always want to reply something like, "Well, you aren't having a heart attack. You have a hangnail and need to wait. Some day I hope you have a heart attack so you can see us save your sorry self".