A new approach for emergency department performance positioning: The quality‐efficiency matrix

Abstract

Background: The crowding of emergency departments (EDs) is one of the major poor-quality factors for patients. Because of this, measuring ED performance in Healthcare Systems is a difficult but an important task needed to enhance quality and efficiency. Purpose: (i) Development of a tool to observe and evaluate performance measurement, analysing two critical variables (quality and efficiency), verifying the change in performance due to the implementation of a new organizational model; (ii) the implementation of the tool in two EDs with comparable annual volumes of activity in the Italian context.Methods: A literature review on ED performance was conducted in order to identify acknowledged performance measurements used in this context that can be used in the development of a tool for the evaluation of EDs' performance. The goal is to have a matrix that is easily understood and that shows a simple relationship between quality and efficiency. This was possible by setting up a method that translates the ED annual performance data (in this case the data related to year 2018) into a graph with benchmarking purposes, also including an actual situation (AS-IS) view as compared to a TO-BE situation (i.e., before and after an organizational change occurred).

Strategies to Measure and Improve Emergency Department Performance: A Review

“…This comprehensive feedback mechanism provides a holistic view of a physician's performance, including their clinical skills, communication, teamwork, and professional behavior [64]. Such peer assessments are crucial for continuous professional development, helping to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in a physician's practice [65].…”