Emergency room waiting times could be cut by over one third and patients’ length of stay by almost two-thirds, thanks to a new approach to the triage process of sorting patients for further assessment and treatment, according to research published in the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage this month.
The researchers have investigated how the Six Sigma approach might improve the “product” – treated patients in a hospital emergency room. ER plays an important role in a patient’s treatment cycle, the team explains, patients are admitted, go through a triage orientation, assessment and treatment process and then are either transferred to a hospital ward, another hospital, or discharged based on an emergency physician plan.
