Patients, charts, and orders: keeping track.

A simple, inexpensive system for keeping track of charts, orders, and patients in a busy emergency department is described. All orders, except the most urgent, are communicated in writing. A secretary relieves the nurses of secretarial duties, and functions as coordinator of laboratory work and communications. A traffic board, using magnetic markers, allows instant visualization of the state of the department. Swift movement of patients from room to room can occur without losing track of the patient or his chart. A system of six discrete chart stations is used, each denoting a separate task to be done. The chart moves in an orderly manner through stations, giving the staff "at a glance" information about what must be done and how well the department is processing patients. A scribe option is employed in overload conditions, allowing a substantial increase in patient processing.