This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information.
Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information.
America's Hospitals: In Danger or Bouncing Back?
Slide Presentation by Mary Kopp, R.N.
On November 20, 2002, Mary Kopp, R.N., made a presentation in a Web-assisted teleconference at Event 2, which was entitled "Emergency Department Overcrowding and Ambulance Diversion."
This is the text version of Ms. Kopp's slide presentation. Select to access the PowerPoint® slides (80 KB).
Emergency Department Overcrowding and Ambulance Diversion
Mary Kopp, B.S.N., R.N.
Nurse Manager for Emergency Services
Scottsdale Healthcare Shea
Slide 1
Development of a Community Plan
- Historical—the need to understand diversion.
- Community Concern.
- Diversion had a "negative connotation."
- Understanding that diversion was not just a hospital problem.
- Arizona Emergency Medical Services (AEMS) Assigned a Diversion Task Force.
- Provide timely transport of patients.
- Deliver quality care to our community.
- Determine when hospital's reached saturation.
Slide 2
Develop Diversion Guidelines
- State the purpose.
- Determines Standard of Care.
- Identify the goal.
- Consistent definitions of terminology.
- Establish Categories.
- ED/Trauma Saturation.
- Facility Internal Disaster.
- Determine facility/pre-hospital responsibilities.
- Authorizing/Monitoring of diversion (prompted national search for
computerized technology).
Slide 3
Computerized Technology
- Automated Internet System.
- Partnership between Arizona Healthcare Hospital Association and Phoenix
Fire Program needed to include:
- Assignment of diversion.
- How many hospitals are on diversion.
- Clarifying operational issues.
- Tracking of diversion hours by facility.
- Integration of the EMSystem.
- Real time diversion status.
- Cancellation of Pre-hospital Diversion.
- Community need to access emergency care.
- System overload-sector 2/3 capacity.
Slide 4
Automatic Cancellation of Diversion
- Quantifiable Data.
- Determine a saturation percentage.
- Determine whom dispatch would place on automatic cancellation of diversion.
- Development of the AEMS Facility Diversion Worksheet.
- List factors of why emergency departments go on diversion.
- Assign number to quantify factors.
Slide 5
Which Hospital Comes Up On Diversion?
- Geographic sector assignments for Central Arizona.
- Understanding guidelines of 2/3 system overload.
- Percent calculated by each hospital.
- Which facility stays on diversion, for how long.
- Rotation of all facilities until all facilities have returned to normal.
- Need for individual hospital strategies for saturation.
Slide 6
Future On-line Capability
- Continue to develop quality reports.
- Research Support.
- State-Wide Implementation.
- Bioterrorism Surveillance.
Current as of June 2003
Internet Citation:
Emergency Department Overcrowding and Ambulance Diversion. Slide Presentation by Mary Kopp, at Web-Assisted Teleconference, "America's Hospitals: In Danger or Bouncing Back?" Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/hospital/kopptxt.htm
Return to Teleconference on America's Hospitals
5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857