Continuous flow models in urgent and emergency care (BMJ, 18 November 2022)

Summary

This article looks at the potential to use the continuous flow model to tackle unprecedented levels of overcrowding in emergency departments. The continuous flow model, also known as full capacity protocols, was first introduced in North America in the late 1990s. It mandates that a set number of patients are moved at set times from the emergency department to inpatient wards, regardless of whether a bed is available. This might mean putting an extra patient in a bay or two patients in a side room or boarding them in hospital corridors. In turn, this encourages wards to discharge existing patients, allows ambulances to offload new patients in the space created in the emergency department, and relieves pressure on the whole system.

This article looks at the fact that evidence to support the continuous flow model is scarce, although positive, and that there are a number of important factors to consider before implementing the model, to ensure that it does not result in increased patient harm.