Editor's Notes
Grace Frankland was recipient of ORCA Travel Grant #249 to present at the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives.
Abstract
Clinical Problem
Problem: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding
• ED visits have increased by 47.3% in the last 20
years, while the number of EDs/available beds has
remained relatively unchanged
• Contributing to…
• longer wait times & length of stay (LOS)
• higher rate of patients leaving without being
seen (LWBS) & door-to-provider (DTP) times
• increased mortality
• decreased patient satisfaction
• staff burnout
• preventable errors & decline in quality of
care.
Solution: Vertical Flow Model (VFM)
• An adaptable strategy to address ED
overcrowding by improving patient flow without
increasing physical space/bed capacity.
• Shown to reduce LOS, DTP times, and LWBS rates
• Primarily been implemented in large, urban EDs
Recommended Citation
Frankland, Grace and Rogers, Jennifer Dr.
(2025)
"Developing a Staff-Led Vertical Flow Model Policy in a Rural Emergency Department,"
Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/steeplechase/vol9/iss1/4