Open the Front Door to the Hospital: The Emergency Department

According to a 2006 report by the The Institute of Medicine (IOM), a national crisis in emergency care is brewing. EDs are overcrowded, patients often wait hours or even days for admission and ambulance diversions are common.

The ED has become the hospital's face to the community and a window revealing what is right and wrong with health care.

How can IT help?

Robust information systems can help improve the quality of emergency care and enhance hospital efficiency. The IOM report recommends systems that:

• Track and manage patient flow
• Link ED physicians to patients' records and the wider community
• Support clinical decision making and documentation
• Enhance training and information retrieval
• Facilitate public health surveillance

Success Stories

“We've seen increased patient flow through the department and the ability of the nurse managers to better manage — moving patients through the department and speeding along processes,”
Richard Sullivan, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
medical director of emergency services at Houston Medical Center in Warner-Robins, GA.

More about success stories with an EDIS