Performance Improvement Project Research Articles

Abbreviated in-situ inter-professional debriefing simulation training in peri-operative care environments: Minimizing the impact on clinical care using standardized videos

IntroductionOur facility leadership posed questions to the perioperative leadership team regarding the presence of collaborative communication during the reconciliation of events occurring in several perioperative care areas (operating rooms {OR}, clinic procedure areas, Intensive Care Unit {ICU}). Our team* collaborated to pilot a rapid cycle performance improvement project focused on improving the effectiveness of debriefings and handoffs that could conceivably lead to more effective after-action reviews following events which were complicated by multiple simultaneous unexpected factors. We proposed we could implement standardized abbreviated low-fidelity point of care (in-situ) inter-professional simulation training across the healthcare system with minimal impact on clinical schedules. We believed this would improve the perception of teamwork and collaboration among surgical team members. MethodsInter-professional in-situ simulation training exercises were designed and performed in perioperative care areas systemwide at our three major facilities (Main hospital and two Healthcare Community Centers [HCC]). Multiple iterations of styles of training were conceived and trialed. In the end, preconstructed videos were used to standardize the processes that framed the simulation role-playing of a debriefing after a complex situation. These videos contain the pre-simulation pre-briefings, the clinical situation that preceded the clinical debriefing and the simulation debriefing. Successful reconciliation of the multiple events required team members to exercise closed-loop communication, mutual trust, reengagement, and de-escalation of disengaged team members. Anonymous institutional review board reviewed, and Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE) approved retrospective pre/post implementation surveys were made available to participants immediately after and sixty to ninety days following simulation exercises. ResultsBetween July 2023 and March 2024, one hundred and six staff in the perioperative care areas participated in twenty-two inter-professional simulation trainings (eleven OR, eight clinic, and three ICU simulations). Fourteen simulation scenarios in seven surgical disciplines were created. Eleven videos were produced covering cases in the O.R., clinic and ICU. Ultimately, the simulations were completed within twenty minutes in the three perioperative care clinical areas. Seventy-nine staff responded to the initial surveys after the simulation training. Eighty percent of the respondents gave favorable assessments regarding the effectiveness of the training in improving components of teamwork and agreed this program should continue. ConclusionsThe pilot program affirmed that we could implement simulations across the healthcare system in a format that minimally impacted the staffs’ clinical schedule. The process was standardized through the creation of multiple specialty specific videos. We proposed that perioperative team leadership could utilize these videos in the future to conduct spontaneously arranged simulations when they identified the presence of members naïve to this training and opportunities in the clinical schedule.*Refer to the acknowledgments for construct of our perioperative leadership simulation advisory team

Using Existing Resources to Create a Successful End-of-Life Doula Program

The end-of-life doula role has emerged as an integral part of the interdisciplinary team caring for patients. The doulas provide an extra layer of support from a non-clinical lens to prevent crises, follow-up with families, and guide them through their journey. This manuscript describes how a hospice agency developed a performance improvement project to train volunteers to become end-of-life doulas through a rigorous training program, based on the Doula Model of Care. The implementation of the program was evaluated based on caregiver and staff satisfaction, and volunteer knowledge competency. The results from the pilot program showed mixed outcomes for patient and staff satisfaction, but created a rigorous training program for hospice volunteers. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted data gathering and implementation of the program, so outcomes were varied. However, the program remains successful with ongoing training of the end-of-life doulas and an increase in new volunteers to support the program.

Let’s Get to the Core of the Score: A Performance Improvement Project to Achieve Normothermia in Preoperative Area

Let’s Get to the Core of the Score: A Performance Improvement Project to Achieve Normothermia in Preoperative Area

More Than a Game: Building a Workplace Culture of Positivity and Belonging Among Nurses.

This performance improvement project introduced a mobile social gaming app for sharing positive feedback from patients and coworkers with nurses. After deployment, the app supported creating improvements as a supportive structure for engaging nurses in peer recognition to build a workplace culture of positivity and belonging. The authors discuss findings from the app's adoption and use among nurses and offer recommendations for leaders.

Electronic medical record redesign to improve patient safety and use of non-medication orders by clinicians.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) have become highly customizable. Although customization allows changes for workflow optimization, such changes can result in a less standardized system and create barriers due to individual preferences. This was a documentation of the efforts of a greenfield academic medical centre in Qatar to improve patient safety, physician operational efficiency and revenue capture by standardizing the design of the non-medication orders and associated revenue of the EMR . A multi-disciplinary group reviewed and revamped the design and workflow for non-medication orders, including redistributing orders into order catalogues, standardizing their naming, assigning them billing codes, and reviewing other order details. Measurement of project performance followed cross-sectional and prospective cohort designs. The redesign improved clinicians' satisfaction with the EMR and reduced patient safety incidents and other technical issues. Improvements in the organization's operations and staff performance were noticeable across multiple areas. The proportion of clinicians finding it difficult to navigate and select orders reduced from 31% to 21%. The proportion of clinicians who believed the orders to be clear and accurate increased from about 16% to 31%. The estimated percentage of clinicians reporting a technical issue with an order during the last month reduced from 52% to 41.94%, and physicians' dissatisfaction with the overall organization of non-medication orders in the EMR reduced from about 32% to 23%. The average number of technical issues and change requests sent monthly to the technology team for non-medication orders reduced from 30 to 1.4 technical issues and 3.2 change requests. EMR performance improvement projects that consider and address staff input, patient safety and performance metrics can uplift an organization's clinical and financial performance.

Problematic substance use in depressed adolescents: Prevalence and clinical correlates

BackgroundSubstance use among adolescents is common and associated with significant consequences, including depression. Adolescents can experience myriad problems related to early onset substance use and depression, making further understanding of this comorbidity necessary. MethodParticipants were a subset from a large-scale performance improvement project and consisted of adolescents aged 12–18 who screened positive for depression during their routine medical or psychiatric appointment and who then completed the substance use assessment Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble Version 2.1 (CRAFFT). Participants with problematic substance use had a CRAFFT score ≥2. ResultsA total of 621 participants were included in this study, and 105 (16.9%) reported problematic substance use. Compared with participants without problematic substance use, those with problematic use were more likely to have moderate to severe depression and anxiety, as well as significantly higher irritability, impulsivity, suicidal propensity, and suicidal thoughts scores. Controlling for age at screening, sex, race, and ethnicity, problematic substance use remained a significant predictor of depression severity, impulsivity, suicidal propensity, and suicidal thoughts. LimitationsParticipants were from a large, metropolitan area of the Southwest United States who must have screened positive for depression, so results may not generalize. Because all participants were underage, they may have been wary in responding to the substance use assessment accurately. ConclusionsBy using a large, diverse sample in a real-world clinical setting, findings strengthen the association between problematic substance use and depression and depression-associated symptoms among adolescents, highlighting the need for early detection and universal depression screening.

Trauma Center Transition From Paper to Electronic Quality Improvement: Enhancing Trauma Performance Efficiency.

The American College of Surgeons requires continuous process improvement review to maintain trauma center verification. Paper-based systems to monitor and track performance improvement are commonly used but can be inadequate to monitor concurrent ongoing improvement effectively. To describe the implementation of an electronic process to capture and monitor performance improvement in near real time. In 2020, a Midwestern U.S. Level I adult trauma center and a Level II pediatric trauma center's trauma programs transitioned from a paper to an electronic file-sharing system for performance improvement. We converted our primary, secondary, and tertiary review documentation into a single electronic performance improvement file stored on the institution's virtual hard drive, accessible to designated staff, allowing continuous real-time updates. The electronic file-sharing and monitoring process reinvigorated the team and enhanced performance improvement efforts, leading to increased efficiency through documentation and effective loop closure. Real-time monitoring allowed the trauma program to identify opportunities for improvement and enact timely action plans, including targeted performance improvement projects, department education, and ongoing training. We found that implementing an electronic file-sharing system enhanced the trauma team's ability to monitor and trend performance improvement in real time.

Proposed correlation between effectively addressing quality issues and improving provider well-being

Abstract: Introduction: Quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) and performance improvement projects (PIP) are tools to ensure quality care, safety, and problem-solving standards are met and exceeded. This paper examines possible correlations between data gained from implemented QAPI programs at Robert C. Byrd Clinic (RCBC) and provider burnout. Methods: Two surveys were evaluated for this paper. The first survey, Quality Report, identified each respondent's department, the monthly quality reports’ satisfaction rating, and the reports’ perceived accuracy. 28 providers completed the first survey. The second survey was the Well Being Index (WBI), which assesses provider burnout. 38 providers completed the second survey. Results: More than half (53.57 %) of individuals were dissatisfied with using the monthly reports to calculate quality reimbursement for insurance companies, and (65.79%) of participants in the WBI indicated that they felt burned out from their work in the past month. Conclusion: The findings of these two surveys warrant future research to evaluate the possibility of a correlation between the perceived accuracy of quality reports and provider burnout.

Abstract 310: Impact of "Cognitive Aids" on Responder Performance During Pediatric Code Blue Simulations - Results From Performance Improvement Project at a Tertiary Care Center in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Despite advances such as high-fidelity code blue simulations, pediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest mortality rate has plateaued at 62% in the USA. It is expected to be higher in low-income countries. Studies show deviations from the PALS guidelines despite regular PALS training due to skills and knowledge decay. Use of simple, easily accessible resources as “Cognitive Aids”, that decrease reliance on memory during stressful events, however, has not been studied well. Aim: To evaluate impact of cognitive aids on resuscitative capabilities of code-blue responders during simulations. Method: Performance Improvement (PI) project by Pediatrics Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Simulations were run by Consultant, Pediatric Intensivist and PICU nurse on regular pediatric floors. A performance assessment checklist and a scoring tool were designed to evaluate team members for responsiveness, effective resuscitation, effective communication and resource utilization. Results: A total of 94 responders participated multiple times in 35 simulations that were conducted in two phases: Codes 1 - 19 as the Pre-PI phase and Codes 20 - 35 as Post-PI phase. Cognitive aids were not utilized during the Pre-PI codes and based on the assessment scores, interventions were introduced in the form of A3 size PALS resuscitation cards, “Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Direction” document with prompts to facilitate smooth running of the code and SBAR notes. Based on the scores, improvement was observed in responsiveness by 27% (Pre-PI:192/262 vs. Post-PI:222/223), effective resuscitation by 38% (Pre-PI:293/511 vs. Post-PI:409/431), effective communication by 46% (Pre-PI:94/245 vs. Post-PI:173/207) and resource utilization by 56% (PrePI:37/94 vs. Post-PI:76/80). Total of 36 (38%) responders participated in actual pediatric cardiac arrests after project completion and 97% (35/36) reported higher confidence. Conclusion: Cognitive aids were helpful supportive tools in overcoming skills and knowledge decay and enhance team performance and quality of resuscitation during code blue simulations. We suggest use of such tools wherever high-fidelity simulation training may not be available.

Implementation of 4T Score Documentation on PF4 Testing in Patients with Suspected Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Purpose: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a severe complication of heparin therapy. Diagnosis requires clinical evaluation and laboratory testing. The 4T score is a pretest clinical scoring tool used to determine the probability of HIT. A non-profit health system implemented mandatory documentation of 4T score calculation prior to ordering PF4 tests for suspected HIT patients. The purpose of this performance improvement project is to evaluate the implementation of 4T score documentation on PF4 testing and argatroban utilization. Methods: This was a retrospective, multi-site chart review of patients conducted to assess the impact of mandatory 4T score documentation prior to a PF4 order. The study included adult patients who were admitted to one of the practice sites between January 2020 and November 2022 with a suspicion of HIT and a PF4 order. The primary outcomes included the number of PF4 tests ordered and the percentage of positive PF4 results. Secondary outcomes included number of SRA orders and percentage of positive SRA results, turnaround time for SRA, and the utilization of argatroban. Data collection included baseline demographics, documentation of 4T score, PF4 results, SRA results, documentation of heparin allergy, initial anticoagulant prescribed, platelet trend, ordering provider, and duration of argatroban therapy in patients with a positive PF4 result. The analysis involved using χ2 test and Fisher's exact test for the primary outcomes. Results: Mandatory 4T score documentation significantly reduced PF4 orders by 68% over a two-year period (p<0.0001). It also improved the percentage of positive PF4 results from 12% to 24% (p=0.60) and positive SRA results from 19% to 44% (p=0.35). Notably, after documentation of the mandatory 4T score tool, only 21% of the patients had a PF4 order placed. A total of 42 patients with a positive PF4 test were included to assess argatroban utilization. The turnaround time for SRA in these patients was 3.6 days while duration of argatroban therapy was 6.8 days. Conclusion: Implementation of mandatory 4T score documentation significantly reduced PF4 orders and improved HIT diagnostic testing in a non-profit health system. Challenges remain with SRA turnaround time and corresponding duration of argatroban therapy. The results of this project have demonstrated that standardized documentation is essential for optimizing HIT diagnosis and management protocols. Future efforts will focus on optimizing confirmatory HIT testing and non-heparin anticoagulation therapy.

Understanding the Patient's Perspective on Nursing Excellence: Insights From Patient Experience Data.

This performance improvement project leverages patient experience data to better understand patient preferences and values with respect to care from nurses. Through the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data collected in patient experience surveys, the authors explore the concept of nursing excellence from the patient's perspective and discuss practical approaches, based on the Compassionate Connected Care model, to achieve desired improvement goals for nursing.

Clustering Research Proposal Submissions to Understand the Unmet Needs ofMilitary Clinicians.

The Advanced Medical Technology Initiative (AMTI) program solicits research proposals for technology demonstrations and performance improvement projects in the domain of military medicine. Advanced Medical Technology Initiative is managed by the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC). Advanced Medical Technology Initiative proposals span a wide range of topics, for example, treatment of musculoskeletal injury, application of virtual health technology, and demonstration of medical robots. The variety and distribution of central topics in these proposals (problems to be solved and technological solutions proposed) are not well characterized. Characterizing this content over time could highlight over- and under-served problem domains, inspire new technological applications, and inform future research solicitation efforts. This research sought to analyze and categorize historic AMTI proposals from 2010 to 2022 (n = 825). The analysis focused specifically on the "Problem to Be Solved" and "Technology to Demonstrated" sections of the proposals, whose categorizations are referred to as "Problem-Sets" and Solution-Sets" (PS and SS), respectively. A semi-supervised document clustering process was applied independently to the two sections. The process consisted of three stages: (1) Manual Document Annotation-a sample of proposals were manually labeled along each thematic axis; (2) Clustering-semi-supervised clustering, informed by the manually annotated sample, was applied to the proposals to produce document clusters; (3) Evaluation and Selection-quantitative and qualitative means were used to evaluate and select an optimal cluster solution. The results of the clustering were then summarized and presented descriptively. The results of the clustering process identified 24 unique PS and 20 unique SS. The most prevalent PS were Musculoskeletal Injury (12%), Traumatic Injury (11%), and Healthcare Systems Optimization (11%). The most prevalent SS were Sensing and Imaging Technology (27%), Virtual Health (23%), and Physical and Virtual Simulation (11.5%). The most common problem-solution pair was Healthcare Systems Optimization-Virtual Health, followed by Musculoskeletal Injury-Sensing and Imaging Technology. The analysis revealed that problem-solution-set co-occurrences were well distributed throughout the domain space, demonstrating the variety of research conducted in this research domain. A semi-supervised document clustering approach was applied to a repository of proposals to partially automate the process of document annotation. By applying this process, we successfully extracted thematic content from the proposals related to problems to be addressed and proposed technological solutions. This analysis provides a snapshot of the research supply in the domain of military medicine over the last 12 years. Future work should seek to replicate and improve the document clustering process used. Future efforts should also be made to compare these results to actual published work in the domain of military medicine, revealing differences in demand for research as determined by funding and publishing decision-makers and supply by researchers.

Blood culture contamination in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective three-year study

BackgroundBloodstream infections (BSI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients worldwide. A blood culture is the primary tool for determining whether a patient has BSI and requires antimicrobial therapy, but it can result in an inappropriate outcome if the isolated microorganisms are deemed contaminants from the skin. Despite the development of medical equipment and technology, there is still a percentage of blood culture contamination. The aims of this study were to detect the blood culture contamination (BCC) rate in a tertiary care hospital in Palestine and to identify the departments with the highest rates along with the microorganisms isolated from the contaminated blood samples.MethodBlood cultures that were taken at An-Najah National University Hospital between January 2019 and December 2021 were evaluated retrospectively. Positive blood cultures were classified as either true positives or false positives based on laboratory results and clinical pictures. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses.ResultsOut of 10,930 blood cultures performed in the microbiology laboratory from 2019 to 2021, 1479 (13.6%) were identified as positive blood cultures that showed microbial growth. Of these, 453 were blood culture contaminations, representing 4.17% of total blood cultures and 30.63% of the positive blood culture samples. The highest rate of contamination was in the hemodialysis unit (26.49%), followed by the emergency department (15.89%). Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent (49.2%), followed by Staphylococcus hominis (20.8%) and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (13.2%). The highest annual contamination rate was observed in 2019 (4.78%) followed by 2020 (3.95%) and the lowest was in 2021 (3.79%). The rate of BCC was decreasing, although it did not reach statistically significant levels (P value = 0.085).ConclusionThe rate of BCC is higher than recommended. The rates of BCC are different in different wards and over time. Continuous monitoring and performance improvement projects are needed to minimize blood culture contamination and unnecessary antibiotic use.

Implementing Effective Interventions Against Workplace Violence.

Workplace violence (WPV) is widespread and increasing in health care organizations. The purpose of this performance improvement (PI) project was to understand what measures could effectively be implemented to decrease the incidence of WPV events in an acute inpatient health care facility. The A3 problem-solving methodology was utilized. The current state and countermeasures to decrease gaps in the current processes were examined. The methodology engaged all stakeholders in problem-solving and continuous improvement. PI members implemented the house-wide interventions in January 2019 and in financial year 2019 assault with injuries decreased to 39. Further research is needed to support effective interventions against WPV.

Performance improvement, telemedicine, patient engagement, and comparative no-show rates.

No-show patient visits should be considered risk events. No-shows impact the quality and continuity of patient care. Missed visits increase health care risks by deferred or missed diagnosis and treatment, and increases costs of care. This performance improvement project proactively implemented a telemedicine system of care during a public health emergency (PHE). The goal was to improve health care access and decrease health care disparities despite emergency management changes in organizational staffing and federal stay-at-home orders. Telemedicine visits also addressed known causes of historically high in-person no-show office rates-lack of transportation, childcare issues, mobility issues, and adverse weather conditions. Despite location in a Hospital Census Tract where 50% of our population is below the Federal Poverty Level, with less access to technology, telemedicine proved to be successful. The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0) guidelines were the planning framework. The Model for Healthcare Improvement including Part 1 (AIM) and Part 2 (Plan-Do-Study-Act) was used to develop interventions, outcomes, and rationale for use. Data was collected from January 2020 thru March 2022, with 22,831 total scheduled visits (15,837 in-person, 6994 telemedicine). The average monthly no-show rate for in-person visits was 35% compared to 9% for telemedicine visits.

551 Reduction of Fungus-Related Complications in a Burn Center

Abstract Introduction Fungal wound infections (FWI) cause morbidity and increase mortality in burn patients. Our burn center experienced 44 patients with fungal wound colonization (FWC) and/or FWI between JAN 2015 and JAN 2019. In response, we undertook a performance improvement project to prevent and treat FWC and FWI. Methods Members of the multidisciplinary team met to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the prevention and management of FWC and FWI based on current evidence. We focused on patients with elevated risk, that is, with burns ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA) and in the Burn ICU (BICU). Interventions included: utilizing alternating silver sulfadiazine and mafenide acetate creams upon admission; reducing the use of mafenide acetate solution; utilizing silver nitrate solution post-operatively; and applying topical nystatin cream or powder for suspected FWC or FWI. We educated all staff members and updated order sets and training materials. We collected data on all burn patients who had a wound biopsy out of concern for possible infection. Biopsy results were categorized as FWC or FWI. Retrospective data were collected for MAR 2020 - MAR 2021 (PRE). Post-implementation, prospective data collection began MAR 2022 (POST) and will continue for one year. Adherence to the CPG was assessed by chart review. Mann-Whitney and Fischer Exact tests were performed. Results The PRE (n=15) and POST (n=9) groups were similar in age (43±13 vs. 48±18 years) but differed in TBSA (49±19 vs 28±25%, p< .05). PRE group biopsies showed FWC in 0 patients and FWI in 11 of 15 patients (73%); 8 of these (53%), all with FWI, died. In the POST group, FWC was found in 1 patient (11%) and FWI was found in 2 of 9 patients (22%); one death occurred in the patient with FWC. Adherence to the CPG for admission topical wound care was 7% in the PRE group vs 89% in the POST group (p=0.0001); adherence to the CPG for day-of-biopsy topical wound care was 27% in the PRE group vs 89% in the POST group (p< 0.01). Conclusions Adherence to a CPG for the prevention and treatment of FWC and FWI was associated with a lower (but not statistically significant) prevalence of these complications. Limitations include a difference in the TBSA between the 2 groups and potential concurrent changes in practice. Ongoing data collection includes the evaluation of other potential contributing factors. Applicability of Research to Practice Fungi are common in the environment, and when combined with immunosuppression and extensive open wounds, may cause wound infection in burn patients. More research is needed to further evaluate effective treatments for the prevention and treatment of FWC and FWI in these patients.

83 Screen & Intervene : Mental Health Screening in the Burn Clinic

Abstract Introduction Studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of depression and PTSD in individuals with burn injuries during the first year of recovery. Mental health screening of patients at all burn centers is recommended. With the addition of an outpatient social worker, our burn center identified a need to standardize the burn clinic’s mental health screening process to address the mental health needs of patients. This performance improvement project sought to improve mental health screening in the burn clinic and subsequent referrals to community resources. Methods From March to August of 2022, the PHQ-2 and PC-PTSD were administered to 99 clinic patients during one of the patient’s initial visits. Patients completed the screening independently using a paper form. For pediatric patients < 12 years old, the primary caregiver filled out the form. Of the 99 patients who completed the screening, 51 were previously admitted to our inpatient burn center and 48 were treated only as outpatients (F=36, M=63). The age range of patients was 10 months to 88 years old. TBSA % burned ranged from .15% to 70%. A score of 2 or more on either of the screening tools resulted in further assessment by the social worker to determine appropriate next steps. The chi-square test was used to analyze the data collected. Results A total of 36/99 patients screened positive for depressive symptoms, 33/99 screened positive for Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and 23/99 screened positive for both depressive and ASD/PTSD symptoms. All patients with a positive screen on either tool were provided with education regarding mental health resources and offered a referral for services. Of the 99 patients screened, 26 accepted a referral to the local burn foundation and/or an alternate mental health provider for support services. The other 73/99 declined a referral for follow up. There were statistically significant correlations between positive ASD/PTSD screenings and inpatient hospitalization (22/99 p=0.033), PTSD and median TBSA (p= 0.011), and PTSD and age (45-64yo, p=0.028). Females (19/36, p=0.01) were more likely than males to report symptoms of depression and both PTSD & depression (p=0.001), while females (12/36) and males (21/63) were equally likely to report symptoms of PTSD. Conclusions Mental health screening of individuals in our burn clinic yielded a significant number of positive screens for depression and ASD/PTSD symptoms, validating the need for a standardized screening process. Positive screens resulted in increased referrals to community and mental health resources. Applicability of Research to Practice Performing mental health screenings in the outpatient arena is vital to address the mental health needs of individuals with burn injuries.

Enhancing Strategic Learning Through the Implementation of Robust Process Improvement in a Specialized Tertiary Care Hospital.

Performance improvement (PI) in healthcare is essential to improve health, patient experience, and reduce costs. PI projects became low, inconsistent and weakly-sustained in our hospital. The low number and low sustainability were scarcely in alignment with our strategic goal to become a high reliability organization (HRO). This was due to lack of standardized knowledge and ability to initiate and sustain PI projects. Therefore, a structured framework was developed, followed by the building of capacity and capability in the use of robust process improvement (RPI) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of healthcare quality professionals collaborated with Hospital Performance Improvement-Press Ganey for hospital-wide quality improvement project. The team received training on RPI from Press Ganey and created the framework to use . This framework is based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, and FOCUS-PDSA (Find-Organize-Clarify-Understand-Select-Plan-Do-Study-Act). Thereafter, the team of internal coaches organized an RPI training course that consisted of 6 sessions, for clinical and nonclinical staff , using classroom and virtual sessions during the pandemic. This course was increased to eight sessions to avoid information overload. Process measures were collected using a survey to obtain feedback, whereas outcome measures were from the number of completed projects and their effects related to costs, access to care, waiting time, number of harms, and compliance. Participation and submission improved after three PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles. This resulted in an increased number of completed and sustained projects from 50 in 2019 to 94 in 2020 and continued to rise to 109 in 2021. There were 140 and 122 certified RPI coaches in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Although there was a decrease in the number of certified coaches in 2021, the number of completed projects was higher than in 2020. The overall effect of these completed projects by the third quarter of 2021 showed improvement in access to care by 39%, compliance to standards of care by 48%, satisfaction by 8%, and reduction in costs by 47,010 SAR, in waiting time of 170 hours, and in the number of harms by 89. This quality improvement project led to enhanced capacity of staff as seen in the increased number of certified RPI coaches, thereby increasing the submission and completion of projects in 1 year. Its sustainability during the 2 succeeding years continued to enhance project completion and maintenance, bringing quality improvement benefits to the organization and the patients.

Factors Contributing to Stroke Clinic Follow-Up "No Show": A Quality Improvement Project.

Objective Controlling modifiable risk factors provides a strong impact on secondary stroke prevention. Stroke outpatient follow-up (OPFU) provides a significant role in assuring these goals are met. However, in our institute in 2018, one out of four patients was not seen in the stroke clinic after their stroke. To increase this ratio, we instituted a performance improvement project (PIP) to determine factors that contribute to OPFU and offered rescheduling after their missed appointment. Methods The nurse scheduler called patients labeled as "no-show," asked for reasons for the missed appointment, and offered rescheduling accordingly. Other data were collected retrospectively. Results Of the 53 "no show" patients, most were females, single, Black, uninsured, and had a Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) of 0. Of the 30 patients who participated in the phone interview, a most common reason for "no show" was transportation. Fifteen out of 27 patients kept their rescheduled appointment, increasing patients seen in the clinic by 6.7%. Conclusion This PIP determined contributing factors on health care seeking practices of our stroke clinic patients allowing necessary improvements in our institute. Rescheduling increased the number of stroke patients seen in the stroke clinic. Our general neurology ambulatory department consequently adopted this process as well.

A study to assess the Nurses knowledge & compliance to the protocol of adequate bowel preparation for colonoscopy

Introduction: Cleansing the colon before a colonoscopy is called bowel preparation, or “prep.” It involves taking medication that causes frequent, loose bowel movements to empty the colon. The medication is taken by mouth and typically comes in liquid form. Bowel cleansing is one of the most important parameters included in the evaluation of colonoscopy quality. The available evidence suggests that inadequate bowel preparation reduces the diagnostic yield of colorectal neoplasia and increases post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer risk. Nowadays, up to 30% of patients referred for colonoscopy have poor bowel cleansing. Recently, several studies have analyzed the risk factors for inadequate bowel cleansing as well as the strategies to optimize bowel preparation. Poor bowel preparation has been shown to be associated with low lower-quality dilators of colonoscopy performance. Patients with Personal History of Inadequate Bowel Preparation, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Constipation, and a History of Colorectal Resection are at risk of inadequate bowel preparation for colonoscopy. Methodology: In November 2022, there was an increase in consultant complaints about inadequate Bowel preparation for the patient in the ward & ICU which impacted on proper diagnosis of the actual reason the patient took admitted at Apollo Hospitals, Bhubaneswar. So on basis of the complaints, a quasi-experimental group pre-test was conducted & found the less compliance. To look forward to checking the compliances, training & educational materials were prepared on basis of protocol of adequate bowel preparation for colonoscopy (education materials contained agents, methods (single/split) of preparation, dietary patterns, stool consistency assessment) & started implement from December 2022 onwards in both one to one & group teaching. And by end of February 2023, a post-test was conducted to assess the improvement of knowledge of Nurses. To collect the data of their practices on adequate bowel preparation a structured PIP (performance Improvement Project) tool was used & total sample took 100 assigned Register Nurses who all were assigned the In-patients for Colonoscopy. Results: With constant reinforcement, educational materials on adequate Bowel preparation of Colonoscopy & knowledge assessment of assigned nurses made an impact on the effective intervention in adequate Bowel preparation. The impact of compliance to assess the knowledge & interventions of nurses in adherence to the protocol of Adequate Bowel preparation for colonoscopy. The knowledge of Nurses found less compliance in the Pre-Test which was conducted after consultant’s complaints in the month of November 2022 with 55.83% & then after training & educational materials were prepared on basis of protocol of adequate bowel preparation for colonoscopy {education materials contained agents, methods (single/split) of preparation, dietary patterns, stool consistency assessment)} & started implement from December 2022 onwards in both one to one & group teaching. And by end of February 2023, a post-test was conducted to assess the improvement of knowledge of Nurses & found compliance percentage of 78.33%. And Compliance with adherence to the proper method of Bowel Preparation Protocol found compliances month on month, in December 2022 it was 30.29%, in January 2023 it improves to 55.26% & reaches with compliances of 78.94% by the end of February 2023. Conclusion: In patients under the care of nurses who underwent enhanced education on bowel preparation had significantly better bowel preparation quality and higher compliance rates than those in inpatients of the control group. Nurses’ education was identified as an independent risk factor for bowel preparation quality. To make bowel preparation adequate & sufficient frequent updating on knowledge of the recruited nurses need to be done on regular basis.