Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department
Birmingham, Alabama
Children’s of Alabama Emergency Department
The Emergency Department of Children’s of Alabama’s aim is exceptional, innovative and holistic patient care using bedside, hospital, community, and legislative initiatives. Its sepsis committee aims to reduce mortality rates and improve outcomes through early detection and intervention. COA’s 53-bed ED continually exceeds national benchmarks since the inception of the institutional sepsis goals. A team was implemented to develop a surge plan to improve hospital throughput and patient satisfaction and to decrease the number of patients who leave prematurely. Despite an increase in census and boarded patients last year, surge planning continues to alleviate early departures and satisfaction scores remain strong. In 2023 COA has seen a 36 percent increase in firearm related visits. With the chief nursing officer’s direction, ED nursing leadership established a multidisciplinary steering committee with the goal connecting all of the projects in progress to maximize results. In 2022 the ED served as a catalyst for legislative revisions needed to allow the dispensing of albuterol metered dose inhalers that had been used during an ED visit to go home with a patient. COA pharmacists successfully lobbied the state’s board of pharmacy. This legislative revision allowed all EDs within the state to dispense bulk medications.