Chalk Daniel
University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK.
Future Healthc J. 2020 Feb;7(1):60-64. doi: 10.7861/fhj.2019-0017.
Ambulatory emergency care (AEC) units can treat a wide variety of patients referred from the emergency department (ED) and acute general practitioners, helping to ease ED pressures and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. We developed a simulation model to assess the potential benefits of expanding the size and opening times of the AEC unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, both separately and in combination. The model predicted that an expanded size of AEC unit could help to improve the effectiveness of the unit, but not as much as extending the opening hours of the unit, which was predicted to result in a significant impact on the number of patients that can be seen and treated in the AEC unit. The hospital used the evidence generated by the model to support a business to case to extend opening hours of the AEC unit, and open the AEC unit at the weekend.
门诊急诊护理(AEC)单元可以治疗从急诊科(ED)和急性病全科医生处转诊的各类患者,有助于缓解急诊科压力并减少不必要的住院。我们开发了一个模拟模型,以分别和综合评估扩大普利茅斯德里福德医院AEC单元规模和开放时间的潜在益处。该模型预测,扩大AEC单元规模有助于提高其效率,但效果不如延长单元开放时间,延长开放时间预计会对AEC单元可诊治的患者数量产生重大影响。医院利用该模型产生的证据来支持一项商业论证,以延长AEC单元的开放时间,并在周末开放AEC单元。