Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s new short-stay unit intends to reduce admissions, shorten ER wait times

PROVIDENCE – Hasbro Children’s Hospital reported that it has established a new Pediatric Clinical Decision Unit, adjacent to its emergency department. The six-bed “short-stay” unit will serve pediatric patients with acute conditions – such as asthma, gastroenteritis and dehydration, cellulitis, falls, pain, seizures and headaches or allergic reactions – that often need treatment followed by a period of observation and clinical collaboration, often with a specialist. The average length of stay for a Pediatric CDU patient is 12 to 24 hours, according to the hospital.
“In general, many pediatric patients who require hospitalization for acute medical conditions recover quickly and are discharged within 24 hours,” Lynn Pittsinger, director of pediatric emergency services at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the pediatric division of Rhode Island Hospital, and part of Lifespan, said in the statement.
The new short-stay beds will help free up acute-care beds in the emergency department for new patients, improve the turnaround time and flow of the emergency department and reduce the rate of patients leaving without being evaluated by a medical provider, Hasbro Children’s Hospital reported.
During the last several years, pediatric emergency department use and overcrowding has steadily increased across the country. The typical pediatric emergency patient is often healthy and has a specific, single medical problem that triggers the emergency department visit and/or a medical condition that requires a shorter hospital stay. Only about 15 percent of pediatric emergency room visits result in inpatient admissions, according to the hospital’s statement.
“In observation units, efficient care delivery is achieved through frequent reassessment and timely discharge processes,” Dr. Frank Overly, medical director of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital emergency department, said in the statement. “These units have been shown to have low rates of return visits and re-admissions. Most importantly, observation units have been shown to reduce crowding by decreasing inpatient admissions and length of emergency department stay, improving efficiency and increasing rates of patient and staff satisfaction.”
The renovation includes a family room, with comfortable seating, computer and Wi-Fi access and a quieter, more peaceful environment for parents while their child is under observation. The room is readily accessible from the CDU, so parents can stay close to their child and the health care providers. The new Pediatric CDU was built in an area formerly used as administrative offices, a hospital spokesperson told Providence Business News; the entire area, including the family room, is 2,765 square feet.