Currently, non-Utopian waiting rooms often feel like cold ante-chambers to Hell with reefs of cigarette butts drifting under the non-smoking sign; agonisingly uncomfortable plastic chairs and strange clanking machines that intermittently spit out volcanic black fluid described as coffee, but tasting more like dilute tar.
With exponential Emergency Department over-crowding and spiraling waiting times, the Utopian College has produced a series of guidelines to assist fondling members. Ultimately, these Waiting Room guidelines will improve patient comfort and safety; facilitate early diagnosis and treatment (four minute rule) and expedite the global acceptance of Waiting Room Medicine.
We proudly bring you the first UCEM white paper on Waiting Room Meidcine…
Waiting Room Medicine References:
- Scheuermeyer FX, Christenson J, Innes G, Boychuk B, Yu E, Grafstein E. Safety of Assessment of Patients With Potential Ischemic Chest Pain in an Emergency Department Waiting Room: A Prospective Comparative Cohort Study.
- Ann Emerg Med. 2010 May 23. [Reference]
- Pines JM, Pollack CV Jr, Diercks DB, Chang AM, Shofer FS, Hollander JE. The association between emergency department crowding and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chest pain. Acad Emerg Med. 2009 Jul;16(7):617-25. Epub 2009 Jun 22. [Reference]
- Handel DA, Fu R, Daya M, York J, Larson E, John McConnell K. The use of scripting at triage and its impact on elopements. Acad Emerg Med. 2010 May;17(5):495-500. [Reference]
- Pines JM, Shofer FS, Isserman JA, Abbuhl SB, Mills AM. The effect of emergency department crowding on analgesia in patients with back pain in two hospitals. Acad Emerg Med. 2010 Mar;17(3):276-83. [Reference]
- Russ S, Jones I, Aronsky D, Dittus RS, Slovis CM. Placing physician orders at triage: the effect on length of stay. Ann Emerg Med. 2010 Jul;56(1):27-33. Epub 2010 Mar 16. [Reference]
About Mike Cadogan
Serious contender for LIFL “Post-of-the-Year” IMHO
You could have a PRAM -- Paediatric Rapid Access Module -- a small electric vehicle to remove colicky infants and their exhausted caregivers to a more appropriate facility of the health campus. This could possibly be placed just next to the RAMP.
It may also suit a Utopian waiting room to have an area with a sloping stainless steel floor with a drain/gutter at one end, and a high pressure water hose (for convenient cleaning) for patients with excess egress of body fluids (vomitus, incontinence, epistaxis). Could be called EEW -- Excess Effluent Wing.
It seems others are following the innovation of waiting room medicine led by UCEM…
See this article on waiting room chest pain assessment from last months Annals of Emergency Medicine entitled: “Safety of assessment of patients with potential ischemic chest pain in an emergency department waiting room: a prospective comparative cohort study” Annals EM 2010;56:455-462.
What have you started??…