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Long waits in the emergency department can lead to poorer outcomes, higher operational stress for healthcare workers, and greater frustration for patients. A robust emergency medicine scheduling program may reduce ER wait times and improve the experience for all.
Americans spend an average of 2 hours and 35 minutes in the Emergency Department. Patients wait the longest (4 hours, 11 minutes) in Maryland, and the shortest (1 hour, 50 minutes) in North Dakota. Many patients refuse to wait that long. In fact, about 5% of patients in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Delaware leave before being seen.
More than 40% of patients have said that they had a “longer than reasonable” wait for their healthcare. Frustration usually sets in after only 20 minutes or so, and this aggravation can lead to patient walkouts, lowered patient satisfaction, and worsened communication between patients and providers.
Long wait times can also lead to overcrowding in the ER, which strains resources already stretched thin. This is especially true when numerous patients are waiting to be admitted to the hospitals: a study on “boarding” shows that a large percentage of ED patients wait more than 4 hours, and 5% of patients wait more than 24 hours.
ER physicians and nurses must split their time between providing care to boarders and those needing emergency care. This can lead to staff burnout, delays in time-sensitive care, and patient walkouts.
Reducing Patient Wait Times in the ER
Decreasing wait times often requires a multipronged approach. Many emergency departments use split-flow triage to categorize patients as high-acuity or low-acuity and fast-track low-acuity cases into bays staffed by physician assistants or nurse practitioners. In See-Order-Treat (SOrT) models, qualified providers assess patients immediately after arrival and order blood work or other diagnostic tests before taking the patient to the ER Bay. Implementing standing orders and nurse-initiated protocols can also help.
Physician scheduling software can shorten patient wait times in your emergency department.
Using ER scheduling software can help shorten patient wait times by ensuring adequate staffing. Emergency departments can use scheduling software to call in physicians during patient surges, for example, and can help physicians swap shifts or find replacements to help keep EDs well-staffed and running smoothly.
Scheduling software can also help emergency physicians and other healthcare workers avoid stress and burnout, which can contribute to calling out sick or quitting altogether. This software gives healthcare providers and emergency departments greater control over their schedules, with less risk of staffing gaps that lead to lengthy wait times.
Reduce patient wait times with the physician shift scheduling program by ByteBloc
When it comes to reducing wait times through staffing, ByteBloc is the best choice in physician scheduling software. Founded by an emergency physician more than 30 years ago, ByteBloc software helps organizations keep emergency departments well-staffed across all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and many other countries worldwide.
For more information about reducing wait time and using a physician scheduling program, contact ByteBloc.
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