[AVBC 2025] Reducing Incomplete Sedation Preparation for Inpatient MRI scans in Sengkang General Hospital
Care Process & Redesign
Appropriate & Value-based Care Conference
SingHealth
3 November 2025
To investigate and reduce the percentage of inpatient MRI cases rescheduled/cancelled due to incomplete pre-procedure. The quality improvement initiative exceeded the initial target, improving healthcare delivery efficiency, patient care quality, and.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 03 November 2025
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Quality Improvement, Workflow Redesign, Cost Saving, Time Saving, Clinical Practice Improvement
About this Content
Aims
To investigate and reduce the percentage of inpatient MRI cases rescheduled/cancelled due to incomplete pre-procedure sedation preparation by half within six months.
Background
Incomplete sedation preparation for inpatient MRI scans at Sengkang General Hospital led to rescheduling, financial burdens, and increased bed capacity strain.
Methods
Root-cause analysis, interviews with clinicians/nurses, cause-and-effect analysis using Ishikawa diagram, and '5 Whys' analytical technique. Two PDSA cycles were implemented.
Results
Reduced the percentage of rescheduled MRI cases from 31.2% to 5.6%, translating to cost avoidance of S$63,180 over six months and many manpower hours saved.
Conclusion
The quality improvement initiative exceeded the initial target, improving healthcare delivery efficiency, patient care quality, and staff satisfaction.
Lessons Learnt
Initial PDSA cycle was not sustainable and caused concerns, leading to the development of a digital instruction system that addressed these issues.
Keywords
Sedation, MRI, Workflow, Cost, Time
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | Sengkang General Hospital |
Platform(s) | Appropriate & Value-based Care Conference |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Medical, Nursing |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Diagnostic Radiography |
Project Lead(s) | Chen Yu |
Project Member(s) | Loo Tan Yang |
Connect with this contributor!
Chen Yu - chen.yu@skh.com.sg