Patients can help with documentation.

Abstract

Patient medical record forms can include written input from patients, which saves time at triage and allows patients to participate in their care. If a patient leaves without being seen, nurses have the patient's name, chief complaint, and phone number for follow-up. ED managers report an average time savings of 10-15 minutes per patient, which improves overall patient flow. The triage nurse's workload is reduced when several patients come in at once with unknown chief complaints.