triage

United Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department has decreased the average wait time for patients to be triaged, according to a news release today.

Triage is a method of categorizing patients based on the severity of the injury or illness. Patients whose conditions require the most immediate attention are placed at the top of the list, to be seen before those with less severe illnesses.

The national average triage wait time is 15 minutes. In January, UMMC was well below that with an average time of 9.98 minutes. But the hospital has reduced that even further, ending May with a 2010 record average of 5.79 minutes, less than half the national average.

According to the American College of Physicians, “a federal report last year found that patients who need to be seen in one to 14 minutes are being seen in twice that time frame (37 minutes).”

This extended wait time may be due to several reasons, including a lengthy triage time.

The Emergency Department staff at United Memorial works diligently to achieve greater efficiency and reduce triage time. As a result, patients are evaluated faster and treated more quickly.

Last year, the Emergency Department at United Memorial cared for 23,375 patients. All Emergency Room physicians are board certified in Emergency Medicine. Many of its ER nurses have worked with, or are currently involved with, Mercy Flight.

UMMC also operates a SANE program (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) to elevate the care provided to victims of sexual assault and improve the conviction rate of sexual offenders through the use of forensic evidence.