The issue of throughput in the ED must be addressed with policies and procedures that ensure patients are not neglected while waiting for a bed, says Dona Constantine, RN, a former ED nurse and senior risk management and patient safety specialist with the Cooperative of American Physicians in Los Angeles. The hospital must have a clear policy that addresses questions such as who is in charge of a patient discharged from the ED but waiting for a bed. Is it the physician the patient has been admitted to, or is it still the physician in the ED?
Give special attention to the ED, or face significant liability
- February 1, 2016