| Emergency medicine: an operations management view. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 22168189 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:1262-1268 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine ABSTRACT: Operations management (OM) is the science of understanding and improving business processes. For the emergency department (ED), OM principles can be used to reduce and alleviate the effects of crowding. A fundamental principle of OM is the waiting time formula, which has clear implications in the ED given that waiting time is fundamental to patient-centered emergency care. The waiting time formula consists of the activity time (how long it takes to complete a process), the utilization rate (the proportion of time a particular resource such a staff is working), and two measures of variation: the variation in patient interarrival times and the variation in patient processing times. Understanding the waiting time formula is important because it presents the fundamental parameters that can be managed to reduce waiting times and length of stay. An additional useful OM principle that is applicable to the ED is the efficient frontier. The efficient frontier compares the performance of EDs with respect to two dimensions: responsiveness (i.e., 1/wait time) and utilization rates. Some EDs may be "on the frontier," maximizing their responsiveness at their given utilization rates. However, most EDs likely have opportunities to move toward the frontier. Increasing capacity is a movement along the frontier and to truly move toward the frontier (i.e., improving responsiveness at a fixed capacity), we articulate three possible options: eliminating waste, reducing variability, or increasing flexibility. When conceptualizing ED crowding interventions, these are the major strategies to consider. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Olan A Soremekun; Christian Terwiesch; Jesse M Pines |
Related Documents
:
|
21612739 - Development of an accreditation program for point of care testing (poct) in general pra... 21524369 - Practice variability in the management of complex febrile seizures by pediatric emergen... 22190539 - The association of workflow interruptions and hospital doctors' workload: a prospective... 21561459 - 'filling one's days': managing sick leave legitimacy in an online forum. 22186909 - Trends in radiation exposure from clinical nuclear medicine procedures in shanghai, china. 22008569 - Managing strategy to enhance care for children. 21871399 - Anesthesia information management systems marketplace and current vendors. 19228839 - Postpublication external review of the japanese guidelines for the management of stroke... 10717889 - Stroke. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Volume: 18 ISSN: 1553-2712 ISO Abbreviation: Acad Emerg Med Publication Date: 2011 Dec |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-12-15 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 9418450 Medline TA: Acad Emerg Med Country: United States |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 1262-8 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
|
© 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. |
Affiliation:
|
From the Department of Emergency Medicine (OAS), and the Department of Operations and Information Management, The Wharton School (CT), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; and the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Health Policy, George Washington University (JMP), Washington, DC. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: System dynamics and dysfunctionalities: levers for overcoming emergency department overcrowding.
Next Document: Comparison of methods for measuring crowding and its effects on length of stay in the emergency depa...