Surge Protection: Hospital-Wide Capacity Level Protocol to Mitigate Unsafe Conditions in the Emergency Department (ED Administration and Clinical Operations Committee- and Disaster Medicine Interest Group-Sponsored)
The Emergency Department (ED) faces growing pressures from increasing demand, limited resources, and the rising challenge of ED boarding. Chronic surges have become the new normal. This session will focus on a capacity-level protocol designed to manage these constraints while maintaining patient safety and operational efficiency. We will present strategies for escalating care through four capacity levels, detailing specific actions such as limiting patient intake, prioritizing boarders for bed placement, and rescheduling surgical cases. The session will include insights from real-world instances where the emergency surge plan was activated and its impact on care. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for implementing capacity protocols in their own institutions to optimize care, improve efficiency, and handle escalating ED pressures.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify capacity level goals across a health system and evaluate the appropriate thresholds for action.
- Define countermeasures to reduce overcrowding at all intake levels, and determine the set point for activating an emergency response plan for surge.
- Analyze the real time impacts of regular surge plan activations on emergency department volume and boarding.
- Develop actionable, adaptable strategies to improve patient flow, and ultimately patient care, during periods of increased demand.
Presenters:
- Martha Meredith Masters, MD
- Andrew Stromberg, MD
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M. Meredith Masters, MD
Stanford University School of Medicine
M. Meredith Masters is currently the Marc and Laura Andreessen Medical Director for Disaster Relief for the Stanford University School of Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Masters attended medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and trained with the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin. Following residency, she completed the Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine Fellowship with the Fire Department of New York.
Prior to joining the Emergency Medicine Faculty at Stanford, Dr. Masters served as the Medical Director for University Hospital EMS in Newark, NJ, and was part of the Emergency Medicine Faculty at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Dr. Masters’ clinical and research interests are focused on disaster preparedness and mitigation, improving education in disaster medicine, and the ethical delivery of care during crises. -
Andrew Stromberg, MD
Stanford University
Second year administration fellow at Stanford University with interests in clinical operations and quality improvement.