The Ability of the Emergency Department - Essay Example

? Topic: Facility Planning – Part II of Introduction In the current health care sector, the ability of the emergency department, rooms, and equipment to satisfy patients’ needs and meet regulation standards is a great concern for health care professionals and the public. These emergency facility concerns are caused by the increased number of patients seeking emergency health care. The critical numbers of minor and moderate injuries are also among the causes of the increase in emergency service needs. Since it has become more expensive and demanding to provide emergency services within the available facilities and tight budgets, adequate and appropriate budgeting is required of any organization or individual planning to build an emergency facility (Engrav, 2011). This paper explores the various elements of an emergency facility worth considering while planning for an emergency room. Among the factors that one should consider include legal/regulatory requirements, equipment, color, noise, budgets/cost estimate, and the role of the stakeholders. Regulatory Requirements on the Design and Equipment Of great effects on the nature of an emergency room and the equipment to be installed are the regulatory or legal requirements on emergency services. One such regulation is the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a law, which requires health facilities that participate in Medicare to offer emergency services that meet certain standards. First, according to EMTALA, an emergency room must have the right electronic and non-electronic equipment for effective screening, diagnoses, examination, and treatment of patients’ conditions. This equipment should also provide the crucial stabilizing treatment or emergency transfers to other facilities if an examination results dictate so. These regulations, enforced by agencies such as the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), not only revise the meaning and the components of an emergency room but also define the cases in which emergency services should be offered, and the nature/type of patients on whom emergency care should be given (Yuan-Innes, 2012). Furthermore, these regulations overseen by the CMS explain the situations in which specialty medical professionals are required. Failure to adhere to these standards and rules could have extensive connotations such as withdrawal of CMS accreditation and civil penalties. Under the EMTALA regulations, an emergency facility must be licensed as an emergency room or department and be held out to the public by advertisement and other such means. In addition, EMTALA states that emergency rooms should have on-call obligations, ambulances, prior authorization for screening/treatment and are prohibited from delaying these services to verify an individual’s insurance status or payment method. Color Selection Implications and Noise Issues In planning an emergency room, it is important to identify and eliminate any wastes and health hazards while promoting an evidence-based design and practices that enhance patients’ experiences and create sustainable and environmentally friendly facilities. An emergency room plan must therefore ensure personalized care of listening that treats patients with respect, focusing on their needs and interests first (Yuan-Innes, 2012). Noise and colour are thus some of the environmental issues that emergency room planners should thoroughly consider. It should be acknowledged that noise causes not only stress but also distraction in patients and is considered the number one health care complaint in health facilities, more so in recent times during which the levels of noise in health facilities have considerably increased (Brown, 1997). It is therefore advisable that the World Health Organization’s guidelines on the continuous background noise of 35dBA (A-weighted decibel) during the day and 30dBA during the night are observed when planning for an emergency room. Designs that use readily available acoustical materials for healthcare facility ceilings and carpeting are thus recommended. However, little of these materials should be applied on walls for fear of infection, cleanliness concerns, and durability. In addition to these materials that reduce noise and echo, and stop vibrations with proven noise control and soundproofing, the wall space should also be considered as far as emergency room noise is concerned. It is also important to know the best paint colors for emergency room walls when planning an emergency room since these colors have profound effects on the emotions, mood and behaviors of patients. For example, while some colors may make a patient more aggressive, others make them calm due to their soothing effects. Health care facility walls are often painted in white, green and blue, colors believed to have positive psychological effects on patients. White, perhaps the most common on hospital walls ensures cleanliness, and a peaceful and calm mood engulfs hospital rooms thus reassuring patients (Brown, 1997). Similarly, blue and green are also relaxing and reassuring and should be considered while planning an emergency room. Types of Equipment Needed The other important factors to be considered in planning emergency room include special facilities, training, and equipment. In fact, an emergency room requires equipment quite distinct and special compared to other departments and rooms in a health care organization. Given that patients in emergency rooms arrive in quite unstable conditions, they must be attended to and treated rather quickly. Special equipment must thus be planned for since patients may arrive while unconscious, making it hard to obtain information on their medical history, allergies, and blood type. Besides equipment, the interactions among stakeholders such as emergency room staffs are also important during emergency room planning. Emergency department/room staff must also be familiar with and competent in the use of emergency room equipment, necessitating good interactions with them during facility planning (Lang & Montero, 2007). Examples of emergency room equipment worth considering during emergency room planning are X-ray equipment, CT scanners, ultrasonography equipment, automatic ventilation and CPR machines and defibrillators, which are quite useful in handling cardiac arrest and major trauma patients. Emergency room plans must also account for own "STAT Lab" to be used in basic lab procedures and tests such as blood counts, blood typing, and toxicology screens (Lang & Montero, 2007). Electronic equipment such as electronic medical records for clinical documentation, discharge planning, patient tracking, and coding should also be planned for. As mentioned earlier, the many professionals working in an emergency room should be involved in emergency room planning processes. These professionals include medical assistants, physician assistants, emergency room technicians, medical administrative assistants, doctors, and nurses. In planning for an emergency room, these professionals must be reminded of their duties and responsibilities, which range from triage, examination, testing, admission, and treatment among other duties (Lang & Montero, 2007). Above all these, those designing an emergency room should draw a Gantt chart, which would guide in the implementation of the drawn plan. Conclusion As a result of the importance of the emergency room/department in alleviating suffering and saving lives, its design and suitability has become a rather big concern for health care providers. Extensive planning that accounts for the various components of an emergency room is thus highly recommended not only to meet regulation standards and rules but also to ensure patients are well taken care of. Legal requirements, equipment, color, noise, stakeholders such as employees, and budgeting/cost are some of the factors that must be taken into account during emergency room planning. Appendix 1 Gantt chart for the Implementation of the Plan Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May Jun July Infrastructure and material preparation Coordination of stakeholder s Training implementation Installing/initiating project Converting materials to products Final verification of project outcomes Implementing the new products and processes Monitoring outcomes References Brown, M. (1997). Emergency! True stories from the nation's ERs. St. Martin's Paperbacks. Engrav, M. B. (2011). Stories from the emergency department. CreateSpace. Lang, R., and Montero, E. (2007). Confessions of emergency room doctors. Andrews McMeel Publishing. Yuan-Innes, M. (2012). The most unfeeling doctor in the world and other true tales from the emergency room, volume one. CreateSpace. Read More