Ohio State University in Columbus has opened up a new emergency department dedicated to cancer patients, according to an article on the Cleveland.com website.
The department will be staffed by oncologists and emergency medicine physicians who have been trained in the same care guidelines and has private negative air flow treatment rooms, in which cancer patients can be placed in isolation to reduce exposure to infectious diseases.
Also included are 15 treatment stations with private bathrooms, natural light and quiet space for family physician conversations — the antithesis of an often-noisy emergency department environment, according to the article.
The goal is to reduce wait times, not only in how long it takes for a patient to be seen, but how long it takes to figure out what is wrong with a patient so the right care can begin, Dr. Thomas Terndrup, chair of the department of emergency medicine, said in the article.