A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Door to Analgesia Time for Renal Colic Patients with Pain Score ≥4 at the Emergency Department
Care Process & Redesign
National University Health System Quality Improvement
National University Health System
31 December 2019
Increase percentage of renal colic patients with pain score ≥4 achieving door-to-analgesia time ≤20 minutes from 20% to 80%. Protocol implementation improved analgesia administration efficiency and patient outcomes.
Year Submitted: 2019
Published Date: 31 December 2019
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Quality Improvement, Clinical Practice Improvement, Job Redesign, Value Based Care, Functional Outcome, Access To Care, Waiting Time
About this Content
Aims
Increase percentage of renal colic patients with pain score ≥4 achieving door-to-analgesia time ≤20 minutes from 20% to 80% within 6 months. Reduce median door-to-analgesia time from 47 to 20 minutes.
Background
Renal colic patients experience severe pain; an audit revealed only 20% received analgesia within 20 minutes, with a median time of 47 minutes.
Methods
Developed protocol empowering triage nurses to administer analgesia. Tested and implemented the protocol with M&M sessions for feedback.
Results
Door-to-analgesia time reduced to 20 minutes; compliance improved from 20% to 80%. Median time reduced from 47 to 20 minutes.
Conclusion
Protocol implementation improved analgesia administration efficiency and patient outcomes.
Lessons Learnt
Identify team members who actively engage stakeholders and maintain a feedback loop. Communication between doctors and nurses is critical.
Keywords
Root Cause Analysis, Pareto Chart, Analgesia Protocol, Emergency Care
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National University Health System |
Organization(s) Involved | Ng Teng Fong General Hospital |
Platform(s) | National University Health System Quality Improvement |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Nursing, Medical |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Emergency Medicine, Neonatology |
Project Lead(s) | Juan Sze Joo |
Project Member(s) | Ng Wei Ming |
Connect with this contributor!
Dr. Juan Sze Joo - sze_joo_juan@nuhs.edu.sg