A conceptual framework for emergency care planning

The experience of functional program planning, in addition to facilitating the planning process for a new emergency unit, has had additional benefits. It has given the staff a common conceptual framework for analyzing patient care as provided and for identifying areas where improvements can be made. Also, a new approach has been developed for communicating with other departments and with hospital administration about day-to-day operating problems which may be useful for addressing other resource allocation and operating room time schedules. By developing a planning framework, it is possible to integrate the expertise of various services, while retaining an integrated overall orientation within which the efficacy of different proposals can be judged. This approach is critically important in helping to avoid the adverse effects of fragmented planning.