1) You are the Operations Director for the Emergency Department at University Hospital. Earlier this week, you reviewed with your Board of Directors a disturbing trend that shows that patients in your ED have a complication rate nearly twice that of neighboring hospitals (Complications include hospital-acquired infections, allergic reactions to prescribed treatment plans, adverse outcomes due to delays in treatment, etc.).

You have been tasked with developing an action plan to improve this issue. What are some potential causes of the adverse outcomes, and what are some prevention strategies that you may want to employ to prevent them? (Hint: it may be helpful to classify the causes into 3 categories discussed in class and discuss a prevention strategy for each category).