Simple Strategies can be used in the ED

Emergency departments (EDs) can improve communication and patient care with simple strategies, says Gregory Cuculino, MD, an emergency physician at Taylor Hospital in Philadelphia.

Taylor Hospital uses physician-patient huddles, during which key elements of the patient's course are reviewed and any potential questions clarified. This communication is particularly important at the time of disposition of the patient, as the decision to admit or discharge often depends on clinical details of which the physician making that decision might not be aware, he says.