Comparison of Effect of Implementation of "Code 247" on Function of Emergency Ward Staffs in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction During Office and Non-Office Hours

Background Hospitals can improve outcome of treatment in acute myocardial infarction patients by adopting various strategies to reduce reperfusion time in coronary arteries.  Objective this study evaluated effect of implementation of "code 247" on performance of emergency department Staffs in patients with acute myocardial infarction during Office and non-office hours. Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted at Booali Hospital in Qazvin in 2017-2018. 58 patients with mean age of 58.3±12.3 years were entered into the available sampling method and were assigned to control and test groups based on their referral period. In control group, patients were routinely managed. In the test group, a "code 247" with six-person, was first designed in emergency department. When a patient with chest pain transmitting, code members were called by the page system to get the patient to Cath lab, as soon as possible. The researcher directly observed and recorded the time taken from hospital door to Cath lab, including the taking ECG, diagnosis and transmission. Data were analyzed by chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Findings Average time from door to Cath lab was 87.4 minutes in control group and 63.7 minutes in test group. Comparison of time in two groups was statistically significant (P=0.04). There was also a significant difference between the "door to Cath lab" time in office hours between the two groups (P=0.02). Conclusion This study showed that the implementation of "Code 247" improves the function of emergency personnel in patients with acute myocardial infarction.