Setting the Standard for Emergency Treatment
Saint John's Health Center is committed to delivering high quality, state-of-the-art medical care in a comfortable and nurturing atmosphere. The Emergency Department ― by nature one of the most hectic and stressful areas of any hospital ― sustains this commitment through a dedicated team of physicians and nurses who provide compassionate, quality care to the patients who come to them in times of need.
The Emergency Department is often the first introduction patients have to Saint John's. Handling more than 30,000 patients each year, nurses and physicians staffing the Emergency Department are skilled in making rapid assessments and providing expert treatment in a wide variety of cases.
Saint John’s Health Center has significantly expanded its Emergency Department to more efficiently and effectively care for its patients. By adding beds and increasing efficiency, a greater number of less seriously ill or injured patients can now be treated more quickly than ever while the continued outstanding care of those with serious injuries or illnesses is ensured. One important aspect of that expansion has been creation of a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU).
The introduction of rapid diagnosis, treatment and charting systems enhance the Emergency Department's ability to care for patients with speed and expertise.
- Bedside Registration allows Emergency Department personnel to gather patient information while patients are resting in a private area rather than waiting for assistance in the reception room.
- Bedside Lab Testing reduces the time needed for lab test results, allowing for speedier, more comprehensive diagnoses.
- The integration of the digital x-ray, Picture Archiving Communications System allows physicians outside of the Emergency Department to access patient charts, enabling them to provide instantaneous consultation to Emergency Department personnel.
- Fast Track, a major addition to the emergency services department through which patients arriving at the ER with less severe symptoms are directed to a dedicated area where they can be treated and discharged without waiting for other more complex or serious patients to be seen, is an innovation that is also improving health care at Saint John's.
- Fast Track, Saint John’s Health Center has significantly expanded its Emergency Department to more efficiently and effectively care for its patients. By adding beds and increasing efficiency, a greater number of less seriously ill or injured patients can now be treated more quickly than ever while the continued outstanding care of those with serious injuries or illnesses is ensured. One important aspect of that expansion has been creation of a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU).
The CDU is an innovative addition to the philosophy of comprehensive emergency care in a community hospital setting. It is designed for emergency care patients who require ongoing observation, including outpatient testing or treatment, for up to 24 hours, but who do not require admission to the inpatient hospital setting.
The Saint John’s CDU is a six-bed observation unit. It is situated on Ground South adjacent to Emergency Department Fast Track area and is staffed by a team of nurses who are certified in advanced cardiac life support and who have experience in either telemetry or critical-care nursing. Once there, these patients may be observed in the most comfortable setting possible until it is determined whether they should be admitted to the inpatient setting or discharged safely home.
When a patient enters the CDU, the patient’s primary care physician determines the necessary testing or treatment needed; Registered Nurses are present to monitor patients at all times. If a condition requires inpatient treatment, the patient is admitted to the hospital under the care of the admitting physician.
In general, observation patients have already been identified as stable following a medical screening examination in the Emergency Department. Many are awaiting further tests to determine whether they are stable enough to be sent home or whether they meet the hospital’s established criteria for admission as an inpatient. Only those who are not in danger are discharged.
In the CDU, patients receive one overriding benefit: they receive all of the care they need without being subjected unnecessarily to a hospital inpatient admission. Additionally, they avoid long waits in what can become a fast-paced emergency department. The hospital also benefits by utilizing its resources in the most efficient manner possible while maximizing the services it provides to patients.
The CDU was initially established to expedite patients through the Emergency Department, and it has done that with great success. Patients receive outpatient testing in an expedient manner while they rest in comfort knowing that state-of-the-art emergency technology such as cardiac monitoring is readily available at each patient bedside.
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