The ED Puts Resilience to the Test
The culture of most EDs is typified by a high-pressure, fast-paced environment that relies on teamwork, communications, quick decision-making, and adaptability to optimize patient care.
In such conditions, it is common for inefficiencies, workarounds, and improvised remedies to occur and become a form of "normalized deviance" to make up for deficiencies in teamwork and in systems.
Simulation: A Key to Emergency Patient Care Improvement
Applying QI methods, patient simulation brings ED teams together in the problem-solving process, allowing them to identify issues, test solutions, and measure results without endangering patients.
Teams can run high-acuity scenarios, discover team and system weaknesses, and improve processes. This collaborative approach improves care quality, efficiency, and performance under pressure.
