The Acute Care Model: A New Framework for Quality Care in Emergency Medicine

There is an urgent need to improve the quality of health care delivery in emergency department (ED) settings. Given that nearly 27% of ED patients are children, 92% of which are seen in non–children's hospitals; the responsibility to improve the quality of emergency care for children applies to all systems, hospitals, EDs, and providers. In this article, we present an acute care model to frame quality improvement work in emergency care. This model will allow all EDs, not just children's hospital EDs, to adopt a common language and improve 4 integrated components of acute care: segmentation, diagnostic accuracy, therapeutic reliability, and disposition. Importantly for EDs, the acute care model can be used to improve ED flow. Furthermore, the model is supported by 4 critical competencies that enable the model to be used as a tool for improving acute care delivery. These include segmentation of patients, appropriate and rigorous use of evidence, reliable care systems, and leadership that encourages a culture of improvement.