The Joint Commission, formerly known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is the non-profit organization responsible for accreditation of health care organizations in the United States. This includes hospital emergency and observation rooms.
Significance
Observation units are places where a patient may be observed outside the emergency room without being admitted to the hospital. A patient may be put in an observation room if her physician does not believe she needs more than emergency outpatient services but is not sure if she needs to be admitted. These units are a recent addition to emergency services in many hospitals.
Function
The Joint Commission is specifically concerned with monitoring and creating standards for patient safety. Safety concerns have included emergency room overcrowding, a situation that can lead to problems with patient safety and public health.
Features
One solution to emergency room overcrowding is the use of observation rooms. Observation rooms help to decrease overcrowding and increase patient flow, making emergency rooms safer and more efficient. Increases in safety helps hospital comply with the Joint Commission safety standards.
Tags: Joint Commission, emergency room, emergency room overcrowding, patient safety, room overcrowding