The effect of triage and information systems on the Emergency Departments functioning.

The concept of quality in health services is now characterized of great interest and aims for the patient satisfaction. The continuous growth of technology and biomedicine turns modern hospitals to complicate organisms, which have to operate in an appropriate organized way in order to provide high quality services. In this literature review we are referring to the functioning of the Emergency Departments and the world trend of augmentation of visitors in these Departments, with consequences on the quality of their functioning due to overcrowding. In many hospitals they are already used the triage systems as a mean of organizing these departments by controlling the inflow of patients. They are referred as the triage systems which are implemented worldwide and have effects in the quality of health services in the Emergency Departments, through the elements which define quality in health services by Donabedian. Furthermore, the use of information technology through the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) can give a great advance in the way of functioning of the Emergency Departments, by automating procedures which define the waiting time, facilitate the work of the staff and also by the decrease of cost with concurrent enhancement of quality. As a measurement of the efficacy of the above practices, they are being used qualitative and quantitative indicators, which are mentioned indicatively. From the presentation of these elements it turns out that there are many ways of upgrading and updating health services, which, however, must be used in such a way that they will offer a fully advanced and organized context as a single health policy in all hospitals of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]