Minimizing the risk of patient head injury in cardiac catheterization laboratory

Abstract

Purpose: Head injury is a reportable event in hospital. Although the occurrence of unexpected head injury during cardiac catheterization examination is somewhat unpredictable, it is believed that to a certain extent, this type of unexpected head injury may be preventable, or at least the risk can be minimized.Methods: The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) nursing team, together with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) faculty members from Health and Social Sciences and Engineering clusters, aimed to design a “protective Guard” that could easily be mounted onto the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging equipment, for the purpose of minimize the risk of head injury that caused by patients who may suddenly tried to get up or lift up his head and hit their head against the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging machine during cardiac invasive procedure.Results: A disposable “Protective Guard” was manufactured by SIT with inputs from the NHCS Cardiac Catherization Laboratory team. It can easily be mounted and dismantled and can effectively serve as a shock absorbent if the head hit against the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging machine. The staff in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory were given some samples for trial. Their responses on user satisfaction survey were very good.Conclusion: As part of the spirit of continuous improvement, the NHCS nursing team has constantly been on the lookout for areas to improve patient experience and address preventable issues.Here, we are showcasing a collaborative qualitative improvement project between SIT and NHCS on minimizing the potential risk of patient head injury during cardiac invasive procedures. Although head injury incident is extremely rare, it has a significant impact to the hospital and staff working in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Indeed, patient safety and experience always the no.1 priority in the healthcare industry. Purpose: Head injury is a reportable event in hospital. Although the occurrence of unexpected head injury during cardiac catheterization examination is somewhat unpredictable, it is believed that to a certain extent, this type of unexpected head injury may be preventable, or at least the risk can be minimized. Methods: The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) nursing team, together with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) faculty members from Health and Social Sciences and Engineering clusters, aimed to design a “protective Guard” that could easily be mounted onto the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging equipment, for the purpose of minimize the risk of head injury that caused by patients who may suddenly tried to get up or lift up his head and hit their head against the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging machine during cardiac invasive procedure. Results: A disposable “Protective Guard” was manufactured by SIT with inputs from the NHCS Cardiac Catherization Laboratory team. It can easily be mounted and dismantled and can effectively serve as a shock absorbent if the head hit against the diagnostic fluoroscopic imaging machine. The staff in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory were given some samples for trial. Their responses on user satisfaction survey were very good. Conclusion: As part of the spirit of continuous improvement, the NHCS nursing team has constantly been on the lookout for areas to improve patient experience and address preventable issues. Here, we are showcasing a collaborative qualitative improvement project between SIT and NHCS on minimizing the potential risk of patient head injury during cardiac invasive procedures. Although head injury incident is extremely rare, it has a significant impact to the hospital and staff working in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Indeed, patient safety and experience always the no.1 priority in the healthcare industry.