Presentation
HE4 - Applying Human Factors Engineering Lens to Elicit Guidelines for Emergency Department Redesign
SessionPoster Session 1
DescriptionBackground/Problem Statement:
A visit to the Emergency Department (ED) is a stressful experience for most people, regardless of the presenting illness or injury. In addition to the symptoms the patient presents to the Emergency Department with, many patients also experience overcrowding, long wait times, a lack of communication from providers, documentation errors, confusion upon discharge or transition, and a lack of follow up care. This all adds to the negative perception of the ED. Medical staff do their best to treat those that come through the doors, but they need an environment that is designed for efficiency and proper patient care.
Purpose:
When Emergency Department (ED) leadership embarked on a facilities project to redesign their space, they sought to apply data driven approaches to establish new design guidelines and recommendations. Thus, Human Factors Engineering analyzed complaints and grievances data that was collected from the Patient Relations team over the course of one year, to provide design recommendations to the leadership team.
Methods:
The Patient Relations team collected over 400 complaints and grievances from patients or their families who received care in the ED. Two human factors engineers (HFEs) conducted a thematic analysis to identify overarching themes in data. Following a consensus meeting, the HFEs met with ED leadership to develop design guidelines that can serve as recommendations for the architects and facilities team.
Results:
The analysis resulted in identifying 8 unique themes that capture experiences of patients and families in the ED. A few of these themes include: 1) patients’ expectations to be informed about wait times and changes in wait times; 2) Patients lacking confidence about next steps in care, follow up appointments, as well as medications; 3) Patients would like to be accommodate for physiological preferences (i.e., temperature and smell); 4) Family members need to be looped into patient treatment plans and decisions in a timely manner.
Based on the themes, the HFEs provided recommendations for redesign of the ED such as self-service temperature controls in rooms, a notification system for wait times, setting appropriate expectations with patients and families about the level of care provided in the ED, incorporating technology such as visual patient trackers for families to be looped into the care transitions and decisions made, a discharge lounge to facilitate supervised discharge of patients back to the community.
Conclusion:
Analyzing complaint and grievance data using a human factors engineering lens resulted in design guidelines that incorporate multiple work-system components such as processes, technology, and physical environment. Providing this analysis to ED leadership and facilities teams allowed human factors engineers to demonstrate value in their expertise and secure a decision-making role in the redesign of the ED. Proper planning and designing of the ED expansion is a crucial step to providing safe and quality care and will lead to a better patient experience and overall patient outcomes.
A visit to the Emergency Department (ED) is a stressful experience for most people, regardless of the presenting illness or injury. In addition to the symptoms the patient presents to the Emergency Department with, many patients also experience overcrowding, long wait times, a lack of communication from providers, documentation errors, confusion upon discharge or transition, and a lack of follow up care. This all adds to the negative perception of the ED. Medical staff do their best to treat those that come through the doors, but they need an environment that is designed for efficiency and proper patient care.
Purpose:
When Emergency Department (ED) leadership embarked on a facilities project to redesign their space, they sought to apply data driven approaches to establish new design guidelines and recommendations. Thus, Human Factors Engineering analyzed complaints and grievances data that was collected from the Patient Relations team over the course of one year, to provide design recommendations to the leadership team.
Methods:
The Patient Relations team collected over 400 complaints and grievances from patients or their families who received care in the ED. Two human factors engineers (HFEs) conducted a thematic analysis to identify overarching themes in data. Following a consensus meeting, the HFEs met with ED leadership to develop design guidelines that can serve as recommendations for the architects and facilities team.
Results:
The analysis resulted in identifying 8 unique themes that capture experiences of patients and families in the ED. A few of these themes include: 1) patients’ expectations to be informed about wait times and changes in wait times; 2) Patients lacking confidence about next steps in care, follow up appointments, as well as medications; 3) Patients would like to be accommodate for physiological preferences (i.e., temperature and smell); 4) Family members need to be looped into patient treatment plans and decisions in a timely manner.
Based on the themes, the HFEs provided recommendations for redesign of the ED such as self-service temperature controls in rooms, a notification system for wait times, setting appropriate expectations with patients and families about the level of care provided in the ED, incorporating technology such as visual patient trackers for families to be looped into the care transitions and decisions made, a discharge lounge to facilitate supervised discharge of patients back to the community.
Conclusion:
Analyzing complaint and grievance data using a human factors engineering lens resulted in design guidelines that incorporate multiple work-system components such as processes, technology, and physical environment. Providing this analysis to ED leadership and facilities teams allowed human factors engineers to demonstrate value in their expertise and secure a decision-making role in the redesign of the ED. Proper planning and designing of the ED expansion is a crucial step to providing safe and quality care and will lead to a better patient experience and overall patient outcomes.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeMonday, March 314:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
LocationFrontenac Foyer
Digital Health (DH)
Simulation and Education (SE)
Hospital Environments (HE)
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices (MDD)
Patient Safety and Research Initiatives (PS)