TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficiency in the emergency department
T2 - A complex relationship between throughput rates and staff perceptions
AU - von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica
AU - Hasson, Henna
AU - Muntlin Athlin, Åsa
PY - 2016/11
Y1 - 2016/11
N2 - Introduction: It is well known that emergency departments (EDs) suffer from crowding and throughput
challenges, which make the ED a challenging workplace. However, the interplay between the throughput
of patients and how staff experience work is seldom studied. The aim of this study was to investigate
whether staff experience of work (efficiency, work-related efforts and rewards, and quantity and quality
of work) differs between days with low and high patient throughput rates.
Method: Throughput times were collected from electronic medical records and staff (n = 252 individuals,
mainly nurses) ratings in daily questionnaires over a total of six weeks. Days were grouped into low and
high throughput rate days for the orthopedic, surgical and internal medicine sections, respectively, and
staff ratings were compared.
Results: On days with low throughput rates, employees rated their efficiency, effort, reward and quantity
of work significantly higher than on days with high throughput rates. There was no difference in
perceived quality of work.
Conclusions: There is a complex relationship between ED throughput rates and staff perceptions of
efficiency and efforts/rewards with work, suggesting that whereas low throughput may be troublesome
from a patient and organizational perspective, working conditions may still be perceived as more
favorable
AB - Introduction: It is well known that emergency departments (EDs) suffer from crowding and throughput
challenges, which make the ED a challenging workplace. However, the interplay between the throughput
of patients and how staff experience work is seldom studied. The aim of this study was to investigate
whether staff experience of work (efficiency, work-related efforts and rewards, and quantity and quality
of work) differs between days with low and high patient throughput rates.
Method: Throughput times were collected from electronic medical records and staff (n = 252 individuals,
mainly nurses) ratings in daily questionnaires over a total of six weeks. Days were grouped into low and
high throughput rate days for the orthopedic, surgical and internal medicine sections, respectively, and
staff ratings were compared.
Results: On days with low throughput rates, employees rated their efficiency, effort, reward and quantity
of work significantly higher than on days with high throughput rates. There was no difference in
perceived quality of work.
Conclusions: There is a complex relationship between ED throughput rates and staff perceptions of
efficiency and efforts/rewards with work, suggesting that whereas low throughput may be troublesome
from a patient and organizational perspective, working conditions may still be perceived as more
favorable
KW - Efficiency
KW - Emergency department
KW - Multitasking
KW - Registered nurse
KW - throughput rates
KW - Work environment
KW - Workflow
KW - Working conditions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84981711351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ienj.2016.07.003
DO - 10.1016/j.ienj.2016.07.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 27524106
AN - SCOPUS:84981711351
VL - 29
SP - 15
EP - 20
JO - International Emergency Nursing
JF - International Emergency Nursing
SN - 1878-013X
ER -