Grady Emergency Room Visit -Janani Venugopalan -PhD Student Biomedical Engg.
Outline First Impressions Observations – Positives – Perceived bottlenecks Ideas for Improvement
Constant Movement
Entry to Treatment Care provided in 5 levels Severe cases transferred if needed Patient Waiting Outside Triage Triage Treatment
Promoted an environment of continuous improvement to patient care Board MonitorsElectronic Monitors
Elevated Noise Levels in the Patient Waiting Area & Entrance
Sample Emergency Room Floor Plan
Role specific functions Adult & Pediatric unit adjacent Navigator Door Sizes Small Communication among nurses Not much patient vision
Functions for each role is well defined and documented
Fixed treatment procedure
Adult & pediatric units adjacent to each other and connected by a door Pediatric Trauma UnitAdult Trauma Unit
Navigator Specialized role to help patient transfer to other units if required Continuum of care
Role specific functions Planned treatment Adult & Pediatric unit adjacent Navigator Door Sizes Small Communication among nurses Not much patient vision
Distributed nurse stations Nurse stations distributed & at inconvenient locations. Not conducive for communication
Door Sizes in new ward small Towards patient & wheelchair friendly design
Should move towards designs to improve patient monitoring by nurses
Communication Structure
Use of current technologies to improve communications
Improve patient visibility Improve accessibility Reduce noise