Introduction of a Horizontal and Vertical Split Flow Model of Emergency Department Patients as a Response to Overcrowding

Implementation of a vertical patient flow strategy can decrease LOS for the vertical ESI 3 patients based upon the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, this is accomplished with minimal financial investment within the physical constraints of an existing emergency department.Contribution to Emergency Nursing Practice
- Low cost solution to overcrowding
- Decreasing length of stay for emergency severity index (ESI) 3 patients
- Ability to treat more patients in the same space