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VESAS: A Solution to Seasonal Fluctuations in Emergency Department Census by Kathy N Shaw; Jane M Lavelle is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

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To design and implement a plan for emergency department staffing and additional space to reduce waiting time and the rate of patients leaving without being seen during the viral epidemic season. ## Methods: The study was conducted in the ED of a tertiary care children's hospital. We compared 24,657 children who presented for care between November 1996 and March 1997 (VESAS plan enacted) with 24,012 children who presented for care during the same period in the preceding year. VESAS (Viral Epidemic Supplemental Attending and Staff), an additional team of personnel, was on call for the viral epidemic season and was called to work if the hourly ED census that day was 25% or more of the past year's average hourly patient volume. Extra examination rooms were made available in space contiguous to the ED. Interval data, "left without being seen" rates, and ED census were monitored and compared with the previous year's data. ## Results: The VESAS team was used for 32% of the days during the 4-month intervention period. The left-without-being-seen rate was reduced by 37% (95% confidence interval, 33% to 41%). The average time from arrival to consultation with a physician was decreased by 15

Who reads VESAS: A Solution to Seasonal Fluctuations in Emergency Department Census?

Author

Kathy N Shaw; Jane M Lavelle

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Mosby Inc.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 1097-6760)

Published

1998

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)