Although most formal medical quality assurance systems to date have concentrated on inpatient care, the Emergency Department has been recognized as one site where the need for quality assurance is particularly acute, and where quality assurance mechanisms must be specially designed. When patients are treated and discharged home in minutes to hours, often with no chance of follow up, there is little time to catch errors and remedy treatment. When personnel turn over in 8- to 12-hour shifts, it is difficult to pass along all pertinent patient data, maintain optimal doctor-patient relationships, provide feedback on results, or even hold regular conferences. This article cites ways of handling all of the aformentioned problems.
尽管迄今为止大多数正式的医疗质量保证体系都专注于住院治疗，但急诊科已被公认为是一个对质量保证需求尤为迫切且必须专门设计质量保证机制的场所。当患者在几分钟到几小时内接受治疗并出院回家，且往往没有后续跟进的机会时，几乎没有时间发现错误并纠正治疗。当工作人员每8至12小时轮班时，很难传递所有相关的患者数据、维持最佳医患关系、提供结果反馈，甚至难以召开定期会议。本文列举了处理上述所有问题的方法。
