Impact of Physician Navigators on productivity indicators in the ED.

Objectives: We created Physician Navigators in our ED to help improve emergency physician (EP) productivity. We aimed to quantify the effect of Physician Navigators on measures of EP productivity: patient seen per hour (Pt/hr), and turn-around time (TAT) to discharge. Secondary objectives included examining their impact on measures of ED throughput for non-resuscitative patients: ED length of stay (LOS), door-to-physician time and left-without-being-seen rates (LWBS).

Impact of process improvements on measures of emergency department efficiency.

Objective: To study the operational impact of process improvements on emergency department (ED) patient flow. The changes did not require any increase in resources or expenditures.

Methods: This was a 36-month pre- and post-intervention study to evaluate the effect of implementing process improvements at a community ED from January 2010 to December 2012.

Process Improvements to Reform Patient Flow in the Emergency Department.

Emergency departments (ED) function to diagnose, stabilize, manage and dispose patients as efficiently as possible. Although problems may be suspected at triage, ED physician input is required at each step of the patient journey through the ED, from diagnosis to disposition. If we want timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment and great outcomes, then ED processes should connect patients and physicians as quickly as possible.

Transfer for urgent percutaneous coronary intervention early after thrombolysis for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: the TRANSFER-AMI pilot feasibility study.

Background: Most hospitals in Canada do not have percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facilities and use thrombolysis as reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Urgent PCI after thrombolysis may optimize reperfusion and prevent reinfarction and recurrent ischemia.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of transferring high-risk STEMI patients from community hospitals in Ontario to PCI centres for urgent PCI within 6 h of thrombolysis.