Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wait Times Improving At The Pembroke Regional Hospital
PEMBROKE – Significant changes in the way patients are seen at the Pembroke Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department are helping to reduce wait times and improve patient satisfaction.
While patients still sign in and undergo assessment by the triage nurse, those with simpler, lower acuity issues may be seen in an expanded part of the ED with additional physician and nursing resources.
Referred to as “Zone B”, the streamlining of care in the ED is part of a series of planned improvements at PRH which will improve patient flow throughout the Hospital and ultimately improve patient satisfaction with each hospital experience.
Already, the outcome has been positive. In fact, for the first three months during which Zone B has been operational (October, November and December, 2012), the average wait time in Zone B, based on approximately 4,400 patient visits, was one hour and 17 minutes. During the same period the overall wait time for all lower acuity patients in the ED has been reduced by a full hour.
Michelle Godsell, Manager of the ED and Intensive Care Unit said there has been good feedback from Zone B, which is staffed during daytime hours from Monday to Friday.
“While not everyone is referred to Zone B, those who have been are happy and have been sharing their stories with others in the community,” Ms. Godsell said, adding that many of the patients are pleased to find that the less urgent issues are being dealt with in a more timely manner.
“The ED team is very pleased with the new process and feel it has improved quality care for all patients,” she said.
Dr. Sonia Fawcett, one of the physicians who has been providing care in Zone B, said that on average she has been seeing between 20 and 30 patients per day.
“I really like it, there is a much more relaxed pace here where, as a physician, you have a good opportunity to talk to the patient and get to know them. For example we have a lot of women coming in for pregnancy related care and in Zone B we have a good opportunity to talk to them and educate or explain things to them in greater detail which they really appreciate,” she said.
"Previously there wasn’t always the same opportunity because there is so much going on in the ED and the more acute patients take priority,” Dr. Fawcett said.
Registered Practical Nurse Greg Tate who works in Zone B echoed Dr. Fawcett’s comments and said the education opportunities are key.
“For example, we are able to go into more depth about medications and side effects which allows patients to leave more confident and comfortable with their discharge plan,” Mr. Tate said.
“Overall, people love it. I’ve heard nothing negative about the process. In fact, this morning a woman was in and out within 30 minutes and she was ecstatic,” he said.
Mr. Tate also spoke positively about the good use of resources and the fact that patients are pleased that there are seamless connections to other services within the building as well as the ability to link with other specialists in Ottawa.
“There is no doubt that the extra resources made available through Zone B have increased the satisfaction of all emergency department patients,” said Dr. Tom Hurley, Chief of Emergency Medicine.
“Clearly those with lower acuity issues are being seen more quickly, but perhaps more importantly, having Zone B available has allowed for more efficient treatment of the critically ill and injured who require the services of the main emergency department,” Dr. Hurley said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator
(613) 732-3675, ext. 6165 / carolyn.levesque@pemreghos.org
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