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CH offers quick emergency care by Cindy Abole Public Relations Parents and children seeking non-urgent emergency medical care at MUSC can now receive it in a fast, efficient manner thanks to a new service as of March 1. MUSC Children’s Hospital Emergency Department opened a new Fast Track service, called “Quick Care,” designed to provide faster, quality health care services to patients and their families—eliminating long waits and parent uneasiness. “What we’re providing is child and family-centered services for the children and their families of our community,” said Debbie Browning, R.N., MUSC Children’s Emergency Services nurse manager. “It enables us to move non-acute  pediatric patients out of the main flow of the busy children’s emergency department and into the hands of a medical team dedicated to providing first-rate patient care.”  MUSC Children's Emergency Services' Meredith McLain, left, joins Child Life specialist Erin Hall, center, and nurse manager Debbie Browning at the Quick Care location. Hours of Quick Care services are 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Fast Track services are a growing trend around emergency care service programs across the country who have organized health care teams committed to providing prompt services to patients suffering from less-urgent  conditions like ear infections, sprains and minor illnesses and injuries.  At MUSC, the number of pediatric visits to the Children’s Emergency Department is steadily increasing. According to Browning, the new Quick Care service will help health care professionals coordinate for better, specialized care.  Upon arrival, a patient enters the Children’s Emergency Services area and is greeted by a pediatric nurse who  leads him to a triage area where the child is evaluated. For lesser emer-gencies or situations where a child does not require lab work, a medical consult or prolonged medical treatment, the patient may be eligible to receive Quick Care service, which is designed for patients to be seen, treated and discharged within an hour.  “When a child hurts, experiences fever or is uncomfortable, it’s natural for a parent to feel that their child needs to receive medical attention immediately,” said Joseph Losek, M.D., a pediatric emergency physician who is part of the new Quick Care service. “With Quick Care, we hope to improve patient care by providing good customer service by treating and caring for patients immediately.”  Quick Care, which shares the Clinical Science Building’s first floor bronchoscopy treatment area, will be staffed by a pediatric physician, a pediatric emergency nurse and clinical associate. “Our goals are to continue to provide quality health care services for every child in the Tri-county, while maintaining focus on children’s health needs in the community,” Browning said. “We hope to continue to provide child-friendly health care that meets the needs of our pediatric patients and results in their satisfaction.”     Friday, March 4, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.