ED Management – June 1, 2007
June 1, 2007
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Virginia Tech disaster response shows value of regular drills and planning
When Mike Hill, RN, the ED director at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, VA, reported to work at about 7:30 a.m. on April 16, 2007, he noticed a large number of people in the trauma room. Although he didn't know it yet, "They were working the second victim of the first shooting" at Virginia Tech University. -
Counseling is essential following a disaster
The availability of group and individual counseling for hospital staff following two shootings within eight months of each other in Blacksburg, VA, was invaluable, says Mike Hill, RN, the ED director at Montgomery Regional Hospital, which treated 17 victims of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech University. -
'Culture of safety' sets tone for improvement
By laying a strong culture of safety as a foundation, ED leaders at Moses Cone Health System in Greensboro, NC, have achieved impressive process improvements tied to patient safety. For example: -
Translation technology fills important niche
Emergency health care experts agree that the ideal way to enhance treatment of patients who do not speak English or who are hearing impaired is a live interpreter, and indeed, many EDs do offer such a service. -
Multi-pronged approach eases on-call challenge
Hospitals in Boston, like facilities in many other major cities, are paying $1,000 or more to lure specialists to be on-call for ED coverage, according to a recent article in the The Boston Globe. -
Study: MI mortality rate higher on the weekends
A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine formally confirms what many ED managers already know: Patients who are admitted to the ED on the weekends do not receive the same level of care as those admitted during the week. -
Concurrent projects aim to improve satisfaction
In the wake of patient complaints about long wait times and lengths of stay, the ED leadership at Williamsport (PA) Hospital took the bull by the horns and has instituted several concurrent initiatives aimed at turning things around.