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Improving Emergency Department Workflow Through Ed Triage

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Nursing
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Walden University
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Improving Emergency Department Workflow Through ED Triage
Introduction
Emergency Department (ED) triage process is a complex one that needs to be handled
with great care by ED nurses or staff. The process prioritizes the allocation of health care
resources to different patients depending on the severity of their medical conditions. The
effectiveness of the triage process influences the procession of other ED processes, including
the admission process, discharge process, and patient follow-up after discharge. These
processes, if completed appropriately, significantly reduce the rate of unnecessary ED return
visits by improving the quality of health, patient outcomes and satisfaction. The main purpose
of this DNP project, which is the significant reduction of unnecessary ED return visits, can
therefore be achieved by improving the ED triage process and ensuring that the overall quality
of care and patient outcomes are enhanced.
The main focus of this paper will be on the improvement of the triage process, which
will entail the implementation of an integrated, computerized triage application or system. This
system will exchange information with all the other information systems in the ED, including
the electronic medical records, the ED patient tracking system/board, the medication
reconciliation system, and the computerized provider order entry, among others. The
improvement triage system will be browser-based, ensuring effective utilization of the
healthcare institution’s database, hence improving the quality and completeness of data. The
vast array of information will improve the overall system by capturing essential data elements
that inform ED practice and improve the quality of care. These data elements include the
patients’ past medical records, present conditions, severity of the health condition, and clinical
pathways necessary for each of the patients’ medical status. The full transformation from
paper-based triage processes to a fully computerized one will therefore be essential in ensuring

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that all ED processes are effective, especially the discharge process which would ensure a
significant reduction in the rate of unnecessary ED return visits.
The Workflow Improvement Triage Process
Triage nursing in the emergency department requires skill, knowledge, and acute care
experience. The triage nurse is the first medical personnel patients encounter in their
emergency department visit. Triage nursing is unique in the fact one has to be skilled enough
to perform a quick assessment without vital signs or a physical examination. With this, the
department needs to be particular when choosing the triage nurse. There are many instances
the lobby is at capacity with limited amount of ED treatment rooms. As a result, the triage
nurse has to be able to differentiate the patients who require immediate medical attention and
those who can wait. Emergency departments use a universal assessment tool called Emergency
Severity Index (ESI) to determine a patient’s acuity. With this, the ED’s triage system stems
off the ESI. During the assessment for acuity, many patient factors are taken into consideration
(Aronsky et al., 2008). They consist of: patient’s complaint, comorbidities, acuity of illness,
vital signs, if the patient is ambulatory, and an estimate of how many medical resources the
patient will require during their visit
The triage system is accessible for ED staff in all healthcare facilities or hospitals. The
system is equipped with different workstations within the ED such as bedside triage assessment
in the rooms of patients. The patient tracking system is essential for the process because it
launches the triage process. When ED staff or nurses access the system, user authentication
and identification is required, including the use of usernames and passwords that are known
only by the staff. The system entails a main triage page in which the ED staff can access a vast
array of patient triage information. The improvement of data completeness, compliance, and
quality requires the use of several data elements. Other essential pages in the system include

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1 Improving Emergency Department Workflow Through ED Triage Introduction Emergency Department (ED) triage process is a complex one that needs to be handled with great care by ED nurses or staff. The process prioritizes the allocation of health care resources to different patients depending on the severity of their medical conditions. The effectiveness of the triage process influences the procession of other ED processes, including the admission process, discharge process, and patient follow-up after discharge. These processes, if completed appropriately, significantly reduce the rate of unnecessary ED return visits by improving the quality of health, patient outcomes and satisfaction. The main purpose of this DNP project, which is the significant reduction of unnecessary ED return visits, can therefore be achieved by improving the ED triage process and ensuring that the overall quality of care and patient outcomes are enhanced. The main focus of this paper will be on the improvement of the triage process, which will entail the implementation of an integrated, computerized triage application or system. This system will exchange information with all the other information systems in the ED, including the electronic medical records, the ED patient tracking system/board, the medication reconciliation system, and the computerized provider order entry, among others. The improvement triage system will be browser-based, ensuring effective utilization of the healthcare institution’s ...
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