Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital Emergency Department

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital Emergency Department focused on improving the patients’ experience while they were receiving care in the ED. The team created the triage coordinator, an operational role for nurses that focuses on positively impacting patient flow for patients to open and ready treatment spaces. The role created oversight for the triage patient in the waiting room, which is critical for patient safety while improving the overall patient experience.

The department also worked on access to care for pediatric patients. The department recognized that pediatric patients who presented with a chief complaint of shortness of breath with an asthma history were in need of expedited care. The ED worked to develop and implement a process to identify pediatric asthma patients and administer steroids within 60 minutes of their arrival to the 97-bed ED. This operational process positively impacted patient experience and improved patient outcomes. These best practices were implemented by the ED to ensure high-quality care is always being provided within their ED.