Optimizing Emergency Department Operations: A Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Patient Flow

Overcrowding in emergency departments (EDs) poses significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, leading to delays in patient care, increased morbidity, and decreased patient satisfaction. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the patient flow to address these challenges by incorporating key factors that contribute to overcrowding and optimizing resource utilization. By integrating factors into input, throughput, and output components, the framework offers a comprehensive understanding of the parameters that influence patient flow and ED capacity. This model helps determine when operations research (OR) techniques should be used to match supply with demand. The application of the framework is discussed in the context of managing surge demand and developing disruptive and innovative technologies to improve emergency care.