Implementing Automation Consultation Software and Team Huddles to Reduce Length of Stay in Saudi Arabia Emergency Department

Abstract

Emergency department congestion is a global challenge in healthcare. Policy makers and healthcare professionals endeavour to increase the efficiency of emergency department and reduce length of stay. The importance of this problem stems from the evidence that prolonged length of stay could results in moderate clinical care, such as higher mortality and morbidity rates and increase the financial burden on health providers.

The aim of this paper is to identify factors that cause delays in emergency department and find the best quality improvement strategy to enhance efficiency of emergency department process. Literature review was conducted and studies were critically analysed using Critical Appraisal Skills programme and the quality improvement projects were examined by harnessing Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence tool. The studies varies in targeting specific reasons of overcrowding in emergency department between triage, on-call consultation, adjustment of process.

The findings showed that most of these studies were conducting in a moderate professional manner such as Lack of addressing evidence based-practice, lack of reporting guidance and often absence of quality improvement methodology.

Based on these finding a proposal project were planned to be implemented in a private hospital in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Data from the hospital showed that the mean of length of stay of patients in emergency department was 292 minutes aiming to reduce it to 240 minutes by integrating On-call consultation software in the health information system and team huddle to facilitate communication. The project proposal section formed theoretical basis for the project, combining The Model of Improvement and The Measurement Journey which includes planning, logic model as a concept and theory of change, measuring, analysing and other important concepts, such as Salience model- based stakeholder analysis, Kotter’s change. We believe that the proposal could have a potential value for professionals who seek comprehensive quality improvement plan.