How Super Is Supertrack? Expediting Care of Fast-track Patients through a Pediatric Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND

Fast-track models decrease patient crowding in emergency departments (EDs) by redirecting low-acuity patients to an expedited care pathway. In 2016, this institution's pediatric ED created a fast-track pathway for patients evaluated in a rapid assessment triage area who needed further management in the primary ED. This "Supertrack" designation was intended for patients requiring up to 1 hour of additional care, though means of ensuring these patients were discharged within their anticipated timeframe were lacking.

METHODS

We aimed to increase the percentage of Supertrack patients discharged within 1 hour of their ED bed assignment from 17% to 50%. Interventions included the creation of objective Supertrack criteria, departmental-wide progress reports, personalized reminders, intake huddles, and documentation prompts. We visualized data from Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles with statistical process control charts to determine special cause variation.

RESULTS

The percentage of Supertrack patients discharged within their anticipated timeframe increased from 17% to 27% without an increase in return ED visits. The average time Supertrack patients spent in the ED decreased from 121 to 103 minutes. Personalized reminders demonstrated a significant but short-lived improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

We improved the flow of Supertrack patients by decreasing their length of stay and increasing how many were discharged within their anticipated timeframe. Limitations included an unexpected surge in patients with respiratory complaints and staffing and structural constraints preventing the designation of a discrete Supertrack assessment space with dedicated providers. These findings are helpful for institutions seeking to develop an effective fast-track model with limited space and resources.