Streamlining Efficiency: Reengineering the Emergency Department Track Board

Emergency Departments (EDs) rely heavily on efficient information systems to manage patient care (Austin et al., 2020). The Track Board, a digital tool within the ED, presents real-time patient and operational data to providers and other healthcare workers, which is critical to workflow and throughput (Brambilla et al., 2022). The functionality of the Track Board and its alignment with user needs are essential for efficient healthcare delivery. The need to revise the nursing staff's Track Board arose when changes to the provider's Track Board inadvertently introduced technical issues. A temporary fix was put in place, and ED leadership decided to revise the nursing staff Track Board while a permanent fix was implemented. Methods: This quality improvement project utilized a Plan-Do-Study-Act approach to refine the ED Track Board at a large healthcare setting in the West. Data were collected via surveys and interviews from ED staff, including nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, certified nursing assistants and Health Unit Coordinators. Iterative design and implementation were carried out based on feedback, with subsequent evaluations of user satisfaction and system efficiency planned at one-, three-, and six-month intervals post-implementation. Results: Initial surveys indicated a desire for system customization, with specific requests such as the removal of the Modified Early Warning Score from the Track Board due to its limited utility in the ED setting. The transition to a zone system of coverage and an upcoming EPIC update influenced the project, leading to a focus on streamlining the number of columns and allowing users to tailor the column display to their needs. Conclusions: The intervention suggests that a customizable Track Board can potentially increase user satisfaction and operational efficiency in emergency departments. The findings support the need for systems that can adapt to specific user workflows, enhancing overall healthcare delivery.