Use of an ER Audit to Build Recommendations for Improving Quality of Care: Part I: Initial Audit and Recommendations

Abstract

This paper documents a complete audit of the Regina Health District's Emergency rooms. The issues examined were triage, non-urgent visits, waiting times, and information management. The results, presented in the two studies following, describe the initial audit and recommendations, as well as the follow-up research and subsequent recommendations. Our findings demonstrate how an audit can effectively monitor the functioning of the Emergency Room (ER) and provide data essential to continuous quality improvement.