When research suggests changes in standard medical practice, the public health community expects physicians and hospitals to adopt the new way and help improve patient outcomes.
Joint guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) cover several major areas including staff competencies; improving patient safety; policies, procedures, and protocols; transfer agreements; support services; and equipment, supplies, and medications.
Eastern Maine Healthcare System in Brewer, recent recipient of The VHA Foundation and National Business Group on Health's Patient Safety Leadership Award, pursues its "zero defect" goal by employing various steps in a quality pyramid. (See pyramid.)
How's this for a practice gap? It's estimated that 1 in 10 suicide victims are people seen in the emergency department within 2 months of dying. Suicide is an issue of public health, which, in today's medical system, is often the domain of the emergency physician (EP).