Hackettstown Medical Center Emergency Department
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown Medical Center Emergency Department
From 2022 to 2024, Hackettstown Medical Center’s 12-bed emergency department saw an increase of more than 1,200 visits. In response, the team improved triage efficiency through shared governance and reintroduced nurse-physician collaborative triage. Nurses initiated early workups, used the AIDET framework for patient communication and completed full triage to guide protocol selection. Two dedicated chairs were designated for rapid workups and evaluations and leadership supported inter-departmental collaboration to hardwire the process.
The triage nurse also began rounding hourly in the waiting room, treating it as a
dedicated section. These changes improved patient satisfaction and reduced the left-without-being-seen rate from 2 percent in 2022 to 0.8 percent in 2024, significantly enhancing patient flow and care access.
In alignment with patient safety goals, the ED also focused on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections. An interdisciplinary team developed a checklist to ensure appropriateness of catheter use. The team implemented a two-nurse
verification system, encouraged bladder scanning with straight catheterization and prioritized alternatives to indwelling catheters. In 2022, 210 foley catheters were placed in admitted patients. Due to these efforts, there has been a continued decline, with the results through the fourth quarter of 2024 showing a 5.09 percent placement rate, for a total of 182 catheters placed in admitted patients.
The triage nurse also began rounding hourly in the waiting room, treating it as a
dedicated section. These changes improved patient satisfaction and reduced the left-without-being-seen rate from 2 percent in 2022 to 0.8 percent in 2024, significantly enhancing patient flow and care access.
In alignment with patient safety goals, the ED also focused on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections. An interdisciplinary team developed a checklist to ensure appropriateness of catheter use. The team implemented a two-nurse
verification system, encouraged bladder scanning with straight catheterization and prioritized alternatives to indwelling catheters. In 2022, 210 foley catheters were placed in admitted patients. Due to these efforts, there has been a continued decline, with the results through the fourth quarter of 2024 showing a 5.09 percent placement rate, for a total of 182 catheters placed in admitted patients.