QI Project Research Articles

Patient safety and quality improvement education in dermatology residency programs: a nationwide survey of program directors.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQI) are key components of graduate medical training, as detailed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with specific requirements that residents participate in experiential learning in PSQI during residency training. This study aimed to analyze the breadth of available and required PSQI educational experiences across dermatology residency programs in the United States. The objective of this study was to characterize the scope of PSQI educational experiences across dermatology residency programs. We electronically surveyed program directors of all ACGME-accredited dermatology residency programs from September 2023 to March 2024. Responses to the survey were anonymously collected with Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Of the 145 dermatology programs surveyed, 37 program directors responded (25.5%). 89.2% of programs reported requiring residents to participate in PSQI educational experiences, with the most common being participation in a resident-led QI project (70.3%), which was also the most commonly available experience (91.2%). The least common required experience was observed simulated patient safety events and analyses. 83.8% of programs reported formal mechanisms to assess residents' competency in QI. This study highlights variation in PSQI experiences within dermatology residency programs across the United States. More than 10% of surveyed programs reported no required QI experiences during residency training despite ACGME program requirements. Additional gaps include variation in assessment of resident PSQI competencies. This study provides insight on the current landscape of PSQI education across dermatology residency programs and identifies opportunities to strengthen dermatology programs' PSQI educational offerings.

7902 Improvement In Follow-Up Of Post-Hospital Discharge Patients After Targeted Approach

Abstract Disclosure: S. Ward: None. Q. Aziz: None. A.L. Champion: None. K.E. Izuora: None. Improvement in Follow-up of Post-hospital Discharge Patients after Targeted Approach Introduction: Outpatient follow up after discharge from the hospital is a well-established factor affecting health outcomes in patients with chronic medical conditions. A prior QI project at our institution utilizing a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle showed that overall follow up rate was 24% in patient expected to follow up in our outpatient clinic. The aim of this QI project was to identify and implement a targeted approach to improve outpatient follow up at our clinic. Methods: This study was a second round of a PDSA cycle with the goal of improving outpatient follow up. Analysis of prior data identified 54 patients referred for outpatient follow up in our endocrinology clinic after hospital discharge (non-targeted approach). Of these 54 only 13 patients had established follow up care (24%). We looked closer at the 39 patients who did not follow up to identify areas we could act on to improve follow up; 38% of these patients did not follow due to one of the following: did not know they needed to follow up, lack of knowledge of how to contact office, unable to reach office by phone. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a targeted approach for all patients seen in the hospital who were expected to follow up in the outpatient setting. This approach included the following: clinic business card with contact information given to patient, follow up instructions included in discharge instructions including how and when to contact office, message sent from physician to outpatient clinic staff requesting staff contact patient and schedule follow up appointment. This targeted approach was implemented for all patients requiring outpatient follow up seen by the UNLV Endocrinology consult service from August 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023. Results: During the two months of recruitment we identified 34 patients who needed outpatient follow up. All 34 of these patients had the targeted approach implemented. Of the 34 patients 12 have successfully followed up and one patient has a future appointment scheduled. This is a follow up rate of 35%, an increase of 11% compared with the prior QI data that did not use a targeted approach. If all future appointments are kept the follow up rate will be 38%. Five patients who had scheduled appointments did not show up to their appointment and are not counted in the successful follow group . Conclusions: Our targeted approach showed an improvement in outpatient follow up from 24% to 35% compared to a non-targeted approach. Five patients that scheduled appointments did not keep those appointments. Future steps would include evaluating reasons for no-show and identifying approaches to improve our no-show rate. . Presentation: 6/2/2024

Implementing an Adverse Childhood Experiences Screening Tool With Migrant Children: A Quality Improvement Project Using the PEARLS Screening Tool

BackgroundImmigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees live with extreme stress, consistent vulnerability, and life-long health consequences. Children in these populations face increased risk of poor mental health due to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and related healthcare barriers, such as lack of screening, that limit their ability to receive appropriate mental health care. AimTo implement an ACEs screening questionnaire for all migrant children 19 and under in a community shelter. MethodsThe Model for Improvement. InterventionThe Pediatric ACES and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS) was implemented over a 10-week period in a community shelter. ResultsAll children screened had at least 1 ACE. Initiation of PEARLS screening led to recognition of adverse experiences thus allowing for mental health support and referrals to mental health specialists. ConclusionsThis QI project supports implementation of screening for adverse childhood experiences within populations of migrant children in order to uncover potential mental health concerns and provide targeted support, recognizing the long-term effects of trauma on their wellbeing.

Quality improvement of breast and cervical cancer screening satisfaction rate at a resident-led clinic.

308 Background: In the US, 77.3% of women aged 21-65 years have had a Pap smear within the past three years and around 75.9% of women aged 50-74 years reported having a mammogram within the past two years as recommended according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In UTRGV Resident-led Clinic located in Hidalgo County, the quality metrics data demonstrated screening satisfactory rate for cervical and breast cancer to be 18% in August 2023. This Quality Improvement project is aimed at enhancing the screening satisfactory rate of breast and cervical cancer by 20% at UTRGV Knapp IM Clinic by December 2023. Methods: First, we focused on the education of the residents through noon conference and 1:1 education. This included comprehensive instruction on latest USPSTF guidelines and proper documentation on the electronic health record system, Athena. Second, we introduced a patient screening questionnaire, available in both English and Spanish. These efforts were evaluated through a pre-and-post-intervention survey designed to assess changes in residents' confidence, aligning with quality metrics data. We obtained and filtered the quality metrics raw data to include all the current residents in PGY1-3 and summed the number of patients who had records of breast and cervical cancer screening and divided the sum of all patients that required the record. The satisfaction rate was rounded to the 2nd decimal place. Results: The raw data from 8/2023 showed screening satisfactory rate for cervical and breast cancer to be 18%. With the initiation of intervention, the data from 9/2023 showed rate of 35%, finally reaching 39% on 12/2023, fulfilling our aim of 20% increase in the screening satisfactory rate. Survey data shows that there was an improvement of confidence observed in both breast and cervical cancer screening. Respectively, 27.5% and 30.9% increase in the residents who responded confident in breast cancer and cervical cancer screening were observed. 84.4% of residents responded that they are less forgetfulness in screening patients after the intervention. There was 22.9% increase in residents who know how to record the cancer screening result in Athena. 87.5% of the residents responded that they experienced improvement in implementing and documenting the breast and cervical cancer screening. Conclusions: Despite several limitations in acquiring and analyzing the data, this QI project positively impacted both subjective and objective data for the improvement of the breast and cervical cancer screening, fulfilling our aim of 20% increase in screening satisfactory rate by December 2023. Breast and cervical screening satisfactory Rate. Month/year Number of patients requiring breast and cervical cancer screening Number of patients with satisfaction in breast and cervical cancer screening Satisfactory rate (%) 08/2023 42 229 18 9/2023 999 2844 35 10/2023 454 1458 31 11/2023 649 1771 37 12/2023 113 287 39

Improving the OncotypeDX ordering process in patients with ER+ HER2- early-stage breast cancer: A longitudinal QI project.

292 Background: Use of the 21-gene recurrence score assay, OncotypeDX, is an NCCN category 1 recommendation to define adjuvant treatment planning for patients with hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative (HER2-) early-stage breast cancer. The assay is a key part of the decision-making process to define who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy with delays in testing that may impact patient care and loss of trust between oncologists and patients. Methods: We first created a comprehensive process map of the system in place to order OncotypeDX and met with an interdisciplinary team to determine the best area of intervention. A nurse coordinator from medical oncology took over OncotypeDX ordering in September 2023. To determine impact, we obtained data on OncotypeDX orders (N=473) sent by medical oncologists at Washington University in St. Louis between 9/2022 and 4/2024. We determined the delay between specimen collection and OncotypeDX order and the time from order to delivery of the report in the electronic medical record system. We then assessed our outcome measure, the date of the first office visit after surgery and whether patients had an OncotypeDX test result at that visit for 270 consecutive orders spanning pre- and post-intervention (6/2023 – 4/2024). Results: We used a p-chart to assess our outcome measure of OncotypeDX availability at the time of office visit with medical oncology, a key metric for both treatment planning and patient trust. We observed a positive trend of seven data points in the most recent data when mapping the 270 patients by consecutive groups of 10. In our most recent data pull from April 2024, 85% (22/26) of patients who required an OncotypeDX had one completed at the time of office visit, in comparison to 50% (20/40) in August 2023, the month prior to the intervention. We used XmR and S charts to determine impact on delay from specimen collection to OncotypeDX order, which showed increased precision and a trend of decreased delay after implementing the nurse coordinator. The overall delay decreased from an average of 28 days pre-intervention (9/2022-9/2023) to 24 days in the most recent post-intervention data (3/2024). Average time between order and delivery, our balancing measure, decreased during these time periods from 16 days to 13 days. Conclusions: Implementing a nurse coordinator improved delays in specimen collection to order and order to receipt. This intervention increased the percentage of patients who had an OncotypeDX result at the time of office visit with medical oncology after surgery.

Swallow Screening in SUH Acute Stroke Service

Abstract Background Irish National Audit of Stroke [INAS] (2021) found that 68% of patients with a stroke received a swallow screen and 43% had it completed within 4 hours of admission. Figures are below the key quality indicator (KQI) metric of 100% for both targets set by INAS. Recommendation from the National Clinical Programme for Stroke recommends a QI project to improve swallow screening rated. Methods From HIPE data, KQI for swallow screening in all stroke patients in Sligo University Hospital (SUH) stood at 86% compliance and KQI for swallow screening within 4 hours of arrival at hospital was 33% compliance. QI project commenced in June 2023 and completed in Oct 2023. Aim for the QI project was to achieve 100% compliance in KQI for all stroke patients receiving a swallow screen in SUH. Results Cycle 1 was 100% compliance, cycle 2 was 100% compliance, all stroke patients admitted to SUH receiving swallow screen assessment. KQI for swallow screens completed with 4 hours of arrival to hospital, percentage of compliance increased. Starting compliance was 33% and in cycle 2 this increased to 60%. Conclusion Main reasons for the success of our QI project:

Building confidence and knowledge of scribes during cardiac arrest calls: an educational QI project

Building confidence and knowledge of scribes during cardiac arrest calls: an educational QI project

A Resident-Led Quality Improvement Project in a Community Based Hospital Emergency Department - The Benefits of Simplified Plan-Do-Study-Act/Patient-Safety Quality Improvement Projects Regardless of Staffing Levels.

An emergency department (ED) resident believed ED patients, who needed a simple laceration repair, would be better served if the ED used a laceration cart for supplies, as opposed to the hunt-and-gather method for collecting needed supplies. To address this issue, a two-step Plan-Do-Study-Act/Patient-Safety quality improvement (PDSA/PS QI) project was initiated, with the intent that the project could be completed in a timely manner regardless of staffing levels. The primary purpose of the project was two-fold: 1) to explore the possible time-to-repair benefits of using a laceration repair supply cart in the emergency department and 2) to determine the feasibility of conducting a simple multi-cycle PDSA/PS QI project in a potential staffing-shortage environment. A prospective study using a simple 2-cycle PDSA/PS QI procedure was initiated. During cycle 1, baseline data, to determine the time to complete simple-laceration repairs using a hunt-and-gather supply process, was collected in the form of sign-out/return sheets located next to a laceration repair kit. Cycle 2 introduced the use of a simple-laceration supply cart in the ED, with data collected in the form of a sign-out/return sheet located on the supply cart. Data analysis included a two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) test to assess the effectiveness of the suture cart implementation. Pre-intervention. Twelve valid cases were recorded on the sign-out/return sheets. The baseline time range to complete a simple laceration repair varied from 26 minutes to 151 minutes, with an average of 68.3 minutes (SD=40.8).Post-intervention. Twenty-nine valid cases were recorded on the revised sign-out/return sheet. The time to complete a simple laceration repair, using the supply cart, varied from 10 minutes to 116 minutes, with a mean of 36.9 minutes (SD=25.0), a statistically significant average decrease (p = 0.005) of 31.4 minutes. The use of a suture repair cart in the ED reduced the time required for physicians to perform a simple laceration repair. A minimal 2-cycle PDSA/PS QI process allowed residents and staff to participate in a quality-improvement project, even in a potential staffing-shortage environment.

FP6.13 - A Quality improvement project to reduce the number of readmissions to surgical assessment unit (SAU) in East Sussex hospitals (ESHT) following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract Aim This is a QI project aiming to reduce the number of readmissions following laparoscopic cholecystectomy in ESHT from the current rate of 8.1% to the UK national average rate of 5%. This proposal followed an audit I conducted previously. About two-thirds of those readmissions occurred on day one following discharge, half of them due to pain, and almost 90% of them discharged without any intervention needing only reassurance, pain control, and analgesia. Methods Problem identified, SMART objectives followed, which means our intervention is: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time specified. Set up a process map showing areas where intervention is desirable/beneficial. These include time allowed for consent, preoperative assessment clinic, and postoperative discharge information. Then a driver diagram is drawn to indicate the primary and secondary drivers we need to tackle in order to achieve our goal. In summary, the proposed changes include allowing more time in clinic for patients to explain procedure and consent, junior doctors and nurses’ education, resources, and provision of leaflets and websites for information. Identification of stakeholders including managers, anaesthetists’ nurses, and patients, and dealing with them according to their influence and interest. PDSA (plan do study and act) cycle, TQM (total quality management), SPC (statistical process control), and lean methodology were implemented. Conclusion This project is aimed primarily at reducing readmissions numbers to SAU following laparoscopic cholecystectomy from 8.1% to 5% within a year. Areas in the process map were identified to achieve this objective, and since about 90% of patients were discharged without any intervention, we believe this should be achievable.

2184 QIP: to assess the effect of education, timesheets and timers on the administration times of Parkinson’s medications

Abstract Background NICE guidance for administration of dopaminergic medications is within thirty minutes of the prescribed time. Patients with Parkinson’s Disease are frequent attenders of the ED, often leading to admission for a variety of reasons. Medication timing as an inpatient is frequently sub optimal, leading to potential harm of the patient and prolonged inpatient stays. Interventions previously seen to be beneficial include medication posters and alarms, tested across multiple wards at a different trust. This project aims to assess three interventions looking to improve the administration time of dopaminergic medication at Aintree University Hospital. Method Three interventions were assessed: education, medication timesheets ad medication timers. These were assessed on one surgical and one medical ward. Baseline data was collected prior to implementation, then following each data was recollected. Nursing staff opinion and knowledge were also assessed using surveys at baseline, following education and at the end of the project. Results Baseline data showed an average of 18.75% of doses given out of range on the surgical unit. Education proved to be useful, reducing the average to 12.5%. Medication timers were the most promising intervention, improving the average to 10.7%. However, when plotted on a control chart the changes appear unconvincing for significance. Surveys showed an initial reluctance for the use of timers, but following their use they then became the preferred intervention. Obstacles to their use were identified, such as loss of instructions and difficulty in changing the settings. Conclusion This project has found evidence to support the use of medication timers to facilitate more accurate administration of dopaminergic medications. However further assessment is required with a follow up QI project given the uncertainty seen on the control charts.

2254 Improving the quality and breadth of advance care planning discussions on gerontology wards in an acute London trust

Abstract Introduction Advance care planning (ACP) offers people the opportunity to plan their future care whilst they have capacity to do so and is supported by national guidance. Decisions regarding future care are more likely to be individualised and holistic when patients and their significant others are involved. This QI project aimed to address this by increasing the frequency of ACP discussions being offered and recorded on gerontology wards in an acute London Trust. Method A multi-professional steering group was established to improve ACP using PDSA methodology. A new ACP toolkit, training programme and electronic flowsheet (within the hospital’s patient record system) were implemented. ACP documentation quality was audited on gerontology wards pre and post implementation (over one to four months respectively). Data was compared using Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Results ACP flowsheets were completed by junior and senior doctors, and clinical nurse specialists in frailty and palliative medicine. The initial audit found disparity between documented topics of ACP conversations, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommendations being most discussed. Post implementation, 24 ACP flowsheets were reviewed, showing that more ACP topics were documented where these conversations were had; preferred place of death increased from 24% to 60% (p 0.011); treatment escalation plan increased from 41% to 75% (p 0.014); preferred place of care increased from 59% to 71% (p 0.066). Topics not showing significant improvement in documentation (despite inclusion in the flowsheet) were spiritual needs, information needs and prognostic discussion, broader social needs and what was most important to the patient. Conclusion The implementation of an electronic ACP flowsheet improved documented ACP conversations in some topics, guiding healthcare professionals to deliver care that aligns with peoples’ wishes and preferences. Documented conversations became easier to access, review and audit. Work is still needed to promote ACP conversations being centralised around what matters most to patients.

Evaluation of missed opportunity for clinical pharmacist practitioner impact on medication management in a traumatic brain injury population

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a traumatically induced physiological disruption of normal brain function often with structural brain injury. Patients with TBI may have impaired cognitive function, which may affect medication adherence and patients’ understanding of their medication regimen, making medication management challenging. Clinical pharmacist practitioner (CPP)–driven medication management has been shown to decrease polypharmacy, increase medication adherence, and prevent adverse drug reactions in various disease states; however, there are few interventions for patients with TBI. ObjectivesThis evaluation aimed to determine whether there are missed opportunities for CPP impact on medication management for patients with TBI at 1 Veterans Affairs medical center. MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective, QI project. Patients were identified via a generated report of all patients with a diagnosis of TBI seen by a rehabilitation medicine provider between October 21, 2022, and January 1, 2023. Retrospective chart reviews were performed to determine the number of patients with polypharmacy, adherence concerns, duplicative therapy, and medications missing an indication. ResultsNinety-two rehabilitation medicine visits for 78 unique patients were identified over the 3-month time period. Twenty-four of the 78 patients were identified to have all of the following: polypharmacy, adherence concerns, duplicative therapy, and medications without an indication. Of the 78 patients, 10 (15.6%) were followed by a primary care CPP within the 6 months before their rehabilitation medicine appointment. ConclusionThis QI project identifies potential opportunities for CPP impact on medication management of patients diagnosed as having TBI.

824 Assessing the Quality of Surgical Operation Notes in the General Surgery Department at a District General Hospital (QI Project)

824 Assessing the Quality of Surgical Operation Notes in the General Surgery Department at a District General Hospital (QI Project)

Simplifying Depression & Anxiety Screening for Patients ≥12 at a Family Medicine Clinic

Introduction: Depression and anxiety are widely prevalent in the US, with more than 1 in 3 US adults reporting symptoms of these conditions. As such, the USPSTF recently issued Grade B recommendations for the routine screening of depression and anxiety in all adults, which is most common done with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD7) validated screening tools for patients ≥12. Problem to Address: Though the McLaren Greater Lansing Family Medicine Clinic (MGL FMC) uses the PHQ9 and GAD7 forms, we found our patients were not routinely completing them. Prior to our QI project, MAs would verbally screen patients when rooming them with the PHQ2, the first two questions of the PHQ9. If positive, the patients were given the PHQ9 and GAD7 forms separately, which were reviewed by the provider who would enter the results into the EMR. However, in a spot review, only 20% of patients with +PHQ2s had a documented PHQ9 result in the EMR. To address this, our QI project’s primary aim was to increase our clinic’s depression and anxiety screening rate, with a S.M.A.R.T. goal of screening ≥50% patients ≥12 for depression and anxiety over 1 week, with a secondary aim of simplifying the screening process altogether. Methods & Results: In the “PLAN” stage of our project, we identified barriers to the forms’ completion—how the two forms added to the form burden shared by patients, staff, and providers; we addressed this by combining the PHQ9 and GAD7 onto one page with a corresponding electronic form to document the result in the EMR. During the “DO,” phase of the project, we implemented the new process, which entailed our reception team providing the combined form to all patients ≥12 at check-in for 1 week. In the “STUDY” phase of the project, we analyzed our results and found we had screened 81% of patients ≥12 for depression and anxiety over 1 week using the new form, exceeding our S.M.A.R.T. goal. We also collected feedback from the staff and physicians on the new process: the main positive feedback was that the combined form was less burdensome to administer and interpret than the two separate forms, and the main construction criticism was that providing the form to every patient ≥12 at every visit distracted from other health concerns needing to be addressed. In the “ACT” phase of the project, we adjusted our clinic’s depression and anxiety screening process by continuing to have the MAs verbally screen our patients using the PHQ2, and if that positive, they now provide the combined PHQ9/GAD7 form instead of the two separate forms. Discussion/Conclusions: Combining the PHQ9 and GAD7 onto one page to screen for anxiety and depression is less burdensome for the providers and staff to administer and interpret than two forms separately. Further research is needed on how depression and anxiety screening can be more equitable, how often it should be done, and how providers should best triage positive screens when other health concerns need to be addressed.

Expediting Discharges on the Inpatient Medicine Teaching Services

Introduction: Delayed discharges can adversely affect patient flow throughout the hospital. Late afternoon discharges may lead to high hospital occupancy, admission bottlenecks, ER overcrowding, and disrupted ICU transfers. Discharge by noon (DBN) is key to enhancing hospital capacity, bed utilization, and patient satisfaction and outcomes. Last year, DBN for patients returning home with or without home care services (HHC) was chosen as one of three annual priorities for our hospital medicine division. This was implemented in October 2023 but did not gain momentum among the medical resident teaching services (MTS), paving the way for our QI project. Model for Improvement: Baseline data on the percentage of MTS DBN to home and HHC were available from November 2023 to January 2024. We surveyed our residents/faculty and conducted a root-cause analysis. The main barriers to DBN included a lack of planning and motivation, delayed communication with case management, and prolonged rounding. Aims Statement: Our goal was to increase the median percentage of MTS discharge orders placed by noon to home and HHC from 22% to 35% within 3 months. Measures: Our primary outcome measure was the percentage of MTS DBN to home and HHC. Weekly EMR-generated reports were collected. The outcome measure was then calculated and uploaded weekly on a run chart for analysis. Qualitative process measures included assessing if residents were planning discharges and documenting the number of discharges completed before noon. Changes: Our interventions targeted the lack of planning and motivation. These included introducing the expedited initiative and its importance to residents/faculty through conferences. In addition, a process was created where potential next-day discharges were discussed at afternoon sign-out and a tracking chart of DBN orders was designed for each team room. Tests of Change: Our pre-intervention median percentage of MTS DMB to home and HHC was 22% and improved to 40% post-intervention. While we observed a variation in discharge practice based on the rounding attending, we had notably sustained an upward shift in practice from our baseline when data was plotted on a run chart. We are currently continuing data collection to track sustainability and variability among rounding physicians. Conclusion: We attained an upward shift in the percentage of MTS DBN to home and HHC post-intervention. Although an upward shift has been achieved, we are looking to sustain and further improve it. In future PDSA cycles, we will look at individualizing feedback and optimizing interdisciplinary rounds. We plan on further investigating balancing measures such as bed availability, discharge timing for rehabilitation destinations, and patient and staff satisfaction.

Improving Obesity Outcomes in an Academic Clinic: A Quality Improvement Study

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic disease that affects more than 40% of the population in the United States. The prevalence of severe obesity doubled in the past two decades. Primary care providers are usually the first to screen patients for obesity. According to a 2018 study. Only 55% of adults with obesity were reported to have received the diagnosis of obesity and less than a third of the patients followed up for an obesity-specific visit. The management of obesity is multifactorial with lifestyle modifications and pharmacological and psychological therapies. In our academic clinic, there was a gap in comprehensive satisfactory obesity counseling, which addresses lifestyle modifications and adjunctive pharmacological therapies. Addressing this gap with an obesity-specific visit helps clinicians to discuss available options to manage obesity. Improvement in body weight is linked with improved control of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease leading to improved health outcomes. Aim: To improve obesity counseling rates and usage of standardized obesity templates in an academic clinic by 25% in 3 months. Method: We used the IHI model of improvement using the plan-do-study-act framework to test changes on a small scale and guide the quality improvement study. To better address our aim, we divided our QI project into 2 cycles. For PDSA-1, a thorough chart search for the last 3 months was done to calculate a baseline obesity counseling rate. A root-cause analysis was completed with multi-disciplinary input from faculty, clinic staff, and residents, and several existing barriers that preclude satisfactory obesity counseling were identified. Proposed interventions corresponding to each root cause were plotted on an impact effort matrix. Interventions with the least effort and the most impact were selected as proposed solutions. These included creating a short education session on obesity management and creating an obesity counseling template. Post-intervention, the obesity counseling rates and use of the template were recorded on a run chart. For PDSA-2, we introduced an obesity assessment and plan (A/P) template, with the goal to incorporate all aspects of obesity management, i.e., lifestyle modification, diet, exercise, and screening for disease related co-morbidities. Results: Satisfactory obesity counseling prior to intervention was 32%. The first PDSA cycle post-intervention showed an improvement in the obesity counseling rates to 56%. About 20% of the clinic notes for the counseled patients used the proposed template. About 8% of the counseled patients agreed to a separate obesity-specific visit. The second PDSA cycle showed 20.1% usage of the standardized A/P plan template. In the group that the template was used, there was 63.6% reduction in BMI; compared to 39.4% BMI reduction in group without template usage. (OR= 2.34, p=0.034. Next steps: We noted an overall improvement in the obesity counseling rates after our interventions. However, we noticed that the A/P template usage did not meet our goal of 25% usage. We will conduct multidisciplinary team meetings to understand measures that can be undertaken to improve usage of A/P template. Patients will also be encouraged to have an obesity-specific visit.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening and Surveillance – can we do better? A QI Project

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening and Surveillance – can we do better? A QI Project

Improving Clinical Communication With the Doctor On-Call: A QI Project

Improving Clinical Communication With the Doctor On-Call: A QI Project

Developing a manual clinical trials screening process in a diverse southern gynecologic oncology practice in the Deep South.

e23209 Background: At this time, there is no standard clinical trial screening process or definition that has been adopted within Gynecologic Oncology. In our low resource, highly diverse Gynecologic Oncology patient population, we sought to create an equitable, adaptable, manual screening process that better reflected our patient population. Our objective is to describe our clinical trial screening process and our success in improving trial enrollment and a matched trial portfolio. Methods: An IRB-approved, QI project was implemented in July 2022 to evaluate trial access for Gyn Onc patients. First, screenable events were defined as: the start of one’s first scheduled visit, bi-monthly tumor boards, weekly pre-op meetings, and by keeping track of on a shared Epic list. Potential patients were those with a screenable event: new patients or diagnoses, regimen changes, progressions, and recurrences. Events were categorized into screen positive or screened no trial available. Screen positives were further categorized as screen fail, screen positive, enrollment failure, or enrolled. Data about patients was collected via weekly research team meetings. Monthly meetings occurred to review progress. This data was compared to trials available, number of patients with trail available, and those that enrolled. Reasons for enrollment fails were tracked to improve access and anticipate barriers. Results: Overall demographic data of patients was collected. The average age of participants was 60.67 years (SD = 13.45), and the average distance to a treatment center was 59.27 miles (SD = 137.43). Other demographics are presented in Table 1. For each month, the percentages of “screen no trial available (SNTA)” events and patients who screened positive and did enroll on trial were recorded. Over time, SNTA rates stayed stable, but enrollment increased. Patient preference accounted for 32.8% of enrollment fails (n = 42), pre-existing symptoms/conditions accounted for 23.4% (n = 30), and distance/location accounted for 21.1% (n = 27). During a time of high employee turnover in the summer months of 2023, there was a rise in enrollment fails due to staffing (n = 6, 4.7%). Conclusions: Through a collaborative quality initiative, we describe an effective process of clearly defining and tracking our patient population and ‘screenable events’ for which all patients are screened and offered trial participation if eligible. We show that we improved understanding of the patient population, built a clinical trial portfolio better matched to population served, exceeded national averages for enrolling patients on trials, and are moving toward improved number eligible over time. [Table: see text]

Results of a quality improvement program to increase complete lung cancer biomarker testing rates by focusing on system, physician, and other factors associated with adverse health outcomes.

e23249 Background: Complete biomarker testing (CBT) is an underutilized standard of care for patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, but limited tissue samples may lead to incomplete testing. Especially if quantity is not sufficient (QNS) requiring additional samples, a prolonged time-to-initiation of treatment (TTT) has been shown to negatively impact clinical outcomes. Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) Youngstown, Ohio reviewed biomarker testing data and found: 1) only 41% of patients received CBT, and 2) in the case of QNS when liquid biopsies were utilized, the time from diagnosis to results took an average of 42 days. BSMH worked in collaboration with OncoLens and Q Synthesis to address these issues and reduce the TTT. To our knowledge, there is also no data on interventions that can increase CBT across large health systems and simultaneously tackle both physician and other factors associated with known health disparities. Methods: A multidisciplinary team developed a new workflow for patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC. The pilot involved collecting both tissue and blood at the time of needle biopsy and working with a single reference lab for testing. Physicians and nurses in radiology and pulmonology were in-serviced on the new workflow. As patients were being prepared for a biopsy procedure, nurses collected two tubes of blood for liquid biopsy. After the procedure, both the tissue and blood were sent to pathology and if pathology confirmed an advanced NSCLC diagnosis, both samples were sent to the reference lab for testing. The lab developed a new process to hold blood and test it only when the tissue was QNS. If QNS, tissue testing for PD- L1 was prioritized, and additional biomarker tests were completed with the blood sample. If tissue quantity was sufficient, unused blood was discarded. The lab charged for a single test regardless of whether the test was performed on tissue and/or blood. Results: The QI project ran from Sept 2021 - Dec 2022 and achieved four improvements: 1) a 39.6% increase in CBT in patients with advanced NSCLC (80.6% post-intervention), 2) a decrease of 15.7 days from diagnosis to complete liquid biopsy test results (27.2 days post-intervention, 3) increased CBT rates across all but one physician by an average of 55% (-5% to 220%), and 4) increased CBT by 8% in females and patients with Medicare, Medicaid or other noncommercial/underinsured/uninsured payors. Conclusions: This QI project demonstrated that CBT of advanced NSCLC can be improved by programs that are tailored to large health systems and individual physicians. Gains are also seen in patient populations at risk of adverse outcomes.