Dynamic Color Labeling of the Level of Acuity Decreases Waiting in an Emergency Department

以變動式顏色表現檢傷級數改善急診等候時間

蔡哲宏(Jeffrey Che-Hung Tsai) ； 梁亞文(Yia-Wun Liang) ； 顏鴻章(David H.T. Yen)

《Journal of Emergency Medicine, Taiwan》 10卷2期 (2008/06) Pp. 31-38

摘要

Objectives: We conducted a prospective study to determine if an information technology (IT) approach using a dynamic color labeling of the patient's acuity level in the patient encounter list of a computerized medical charting system was able to effectively decrease physician wait time.
Methods: For the various different time ranges of acuity-specific remaining waiting time, we assigned corresponding background colors on the EDIS patient list. As time elapsed, the background color changed dynamically from white to red.
Results: Mean patient waiting time was significantly lower for stage 2 (after intervention) patients (7.0±5.6 vs. 8.5±7.0 min, p＜0.001) than for stage 1 (before intervention). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found that the patients in stage 2 had an odds ratio of 0.65 of waiting longer than 15 minutes. Patients waited longer if they were at T2 acuity level, were older than 65 years or were seen by an attending physician. Patients were 4.25 times more likely to wait longer if there were more than eight ED patients currently being treated.
Conclusions: We conclude that this IT approach was useful and facilitated provider communications; it was also able to improve the efficiency/efficacy of the emergency department by shortening physician-waiting time.

關鍵字

等候時間 ； 資訊科技 ； 急診 ； 檢傷

並列摘要

Objectives: We conducted a prospective study to determine if an information technology (IT) approach using a dynamic color labeling of the patient's acuity level in the patient encounter list of a computerized medical charting system was able to effectively decrease physician wait time.
Methods: For the various different time ranges of acuity-specific remaining waiting time, we assigned corresponding background colors on the EDIS patient list. As time elapsed, the background color changed dynamically from white to red.
Results: Mean patient waiting time was significantly lower for stage 2 (after intervention) patients (7.0±5.6 vs. 8.5±7.0 min, p＜0.001) than for stage 1 (before intervention). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found that the patients in stage 2 had an odds ratio of 0.65 of waiting longer than 15 minutes. Patients waited longer if they were at T2 acuity level, were older than 65 years or were seen by an attending physician. Patients were 4.25 times more likely to wait longer if there were more than eight ED patients currently being treated.
Conclusions: We conclude that this IT approach was useful and facilitated provider communications; it was also able to improve the efficiency/efficacy of the emergency department by shortening physician-waiting time.

並列關鍵字

waiting time ； information technology ； emergency department ； triage