Objectives: Establish an intervention to increase emergency department (ED) flow at a community hospital in Southern Connecticut with an average annual volume of 35,000 visits. Abstract Text: In the past, physicians have been inclined to send their patients through the ED to ensure immediate attention and a fast work-up. The DARRT was created (in the summer of 1999) to provide physicians with an equally feasible alternative that saves the hospital from unnecessary ED utilization. The process starts when the admitting physician contacts the DARRT nurse who then determines the appropriateness of the admission (based on diagnostic testing that has been done). After the admission is deemed appropriate, the patient is assigned to a floor and the admitting physician is connected directly to the charge nurse for that floor. The DARRT patient now becomes the resident on the floor’s first priority and may even be treated as a STAT upon arrival (at the discretion of the admitting attending). DARRT will provide a mechanism for tracking direct admissions volume and its impact on time saved in the ED. The implementation of the direct admission program is already saving the hospital 52 hours of ED time per month. The establishment of a DARRT is feasible at community hospitals, reduces ED traffic, and improves ED flow. The success of this effort suggests that replication at other sites is warranted.
Learning Objectives: How direct admission can improve ED LOS and decrease ED utilization while increasing ED satisfaction
Keywords: Emergency Department/Room, Hospitals
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.