Streamlining Emergency Department Workflows to Reduce Physician Cognitive Load (Wellness Committee and Operations Interest Group-Sponsored)
Reducing cognitive load is essential for improving the well-being and job satisfaction of emergency physicians. In an emergency department (ED), cognitive overload can lead to increased errors, stress, and burnout. This session will focus on streamlining workflows to alleviate cognitive burden through efficiencies in documentation, standardization of protocols, and the elimination of unnecessary tasks. Participants will take part in a workflow simulation, followed by group discussions to identify key operational pain points and explore simple, practical solutions. By the end of the session, attendees will gain actionable strategies to enhance workflow, reduce stress, and improve operational efficiency within their EDs.
Learning Objectives:
- Define cognitive load and explain its impact on physician wellbeing
- List common ED inefficiencies that increase cognitive load
- Demonstrate how to streamline workflows using Lean principles
- Identify workflow changes that can be implemented in their own ED to reduce stress
Presenters:
- Monisha Dilip, MD, MBA
- Wendy W. Sun, MD
- Amanda J. Deutsch, MD
- Charlotte W. Croteau, MD
- Joshua J. Baugh, MD, MPP, MHCM
-
Monisha Dilip, MD, MBA
Assistant Medical Director
Columbia University Irving Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr. Monisha Dilip is an Assistant Medical Director for Quality and Patient Safety at Columbia University. She completed an administration fellowship at Yale. Her specific focuses are emergency department operations, patient safety and quality, and admin’s role in wellness. She completed her MBA at Yale School of Management. She completed her residency in emergency medicine at Kings County/SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY. In her fourth year, she served as a Chief Resident.
Dr. Dilip attended California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for undergrad. She completed medical school at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Society. In her spare time, she likes reading books, exploring new restaurants, and exploring new cities. -
Wendy W. Sun, MD
Yale University School of Medicine
Dr. Wendy W. Sun is an Administration Fellow and Instructor of Emergency Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. She is passionate about patient quality and safety, physician wellness, and health innovation. Having served as a past President of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Residents and Medical Students (SAEM RAMS) and the Resident Member on the SAEM Board of Directors, she continues to be invested in the advancement of Emergency Medicine through research, mentorship, education, and advocacy.
Dr. Sun earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University in Biomedical Engineering. She subsequently obtained her Doctor of Medicine from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Societies. Most recently, she completed Emergency Medicine residency at Yale - New Haven Health where she served as Chief Resident. She continues to further her education as a candidate of the MBA for Executives at the Yale School of Management. A Canadian from Toronto, she now resides in New Haven. -
Amanda J. Deutsch, MD
Thomas Jefferson University
Dr. Amanda J. Deutsch, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Well-Being for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Deutsch earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University. She subsequently completed her post-baccalaureate and did quality improvement research at Boston Children’s Hospital before starting her career as a medical student at the University of Iowa, where she is from. She completed an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed a track in Healthcare Leadership and Quality Improvement. She most recently completed a fellowship in Physician Wellness at Stanford Emergency Medicine. In her inaugural role as Director of Well-Being at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University she combines her interests in clinical operations, process improvements and well-being.
Dr. Deutsch chairs the #StopTheStigmaEM subcommittee and hopes to normalize conversations around mental health for emergency medicine physicians, address barriers, and foster better mental health care for emergency medicine. Her interests include focusing on gratitude and appreciation to develop a sense of community and a team that can excel for their patients without the cost of their interests, self, and career. Dr. Deutsch loves to tweak process improvements to help foster well-being.
-
Charlotte W. Croteau, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Croteau is a second year fellow in Emergency Department Administration at Mass General Hospital, an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Associate Director of the Emergency Department Observation Unit. She has particular interest in ED operations, multidisciplinary team management, ED staff experience, and observation medicine. -
Joshua J. Baugh, MD, MPP, MHCM
Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Joshua Baugh MD, MPP, MHCM is the Medical Director for Hospital Emergency Preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Director of Clinical Operations for the MGH Emergency Department, and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Baugh earned his MD at Harvard Medical School, his Masters in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and his Masters in Healthcare Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. After training in emergency medicine at UCLA, he completed dual fellowships in Emergency Medicine Administration and Disaster Medicine at MGH. He is board certified in emergency medicine and practices clinically in the MGH Emergency Department.
Dr. Baugh also conducts research in the areas of emergency department operations, physician burnout, and emergency preparedness, and has lectured regionally and nationally on these topics