Establish a Seamless Workflow for Paediatric Patients on the Same-Day Admission (SDA)
Care Process & Redesign
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
SingHealth
31 December 2024
Reduce the average wait time for Same-Day Admission (SDA) paediatric patients from Admission to OT from 158 mins to under 90. The new workflow allowed more elective cases to be converted to SDA instead of requiring overnight admission.
Year Submitted: 2024
Published Date: 31 December 2024
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Access To Care, Bed Occupancy Rate, Waiting Time, Quality Improvement, Workflow Redesign
About this Content
Aims
Reduce the average wait time for Same-Day Admission (SDA) paediatric patients from Admission to OT from 158 mins to under 90 mins by September 2023.
Background
KKH admitted about 100 SDA patients per month, with an inefficient admission process causing long wait times, delays in bed assignment, and consent-taking issues.
Methods
Implemented a One-Stop Center (OSC) for SDA patients, reducing transfer stops, standardizing pre-op assessments, and streamlining arrival times. Used PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles to refine processes.
Results
Reduced admission-to-OT wait time by 49% (from 158 mins to 81 mins). Registration time reduced from 17 to 16 mins, transfer time from 34 to 13 mins, and pre-op assessment from 79 to 31 mins. SDA cancellations remained stable at 12%.
Conclusion
The new workflow allowed more elective cases to be converted to SDA instead of requiring overnight admission. Future efforts will extend the model to other specialties.
Lessons Learnt
Standardizing workflows, reducing unnecessary movement, and improving communication among teams significantly enhanced efficiency.
Keywords
Same-Day Admission, Paediatric Surgery, Operating Theatre Efficiency, Patient Flow Optimization, Quality Improvement
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | KK Women and Children Hospital |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Healthcare Administration, Nursing |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Paediatrics, Surgery, Healthcare Administrators |
Project Lead(s) | Sam Koh |
Project Member(s) | Wong Sook Thow |
Connect with this contributor!
Sam Koh - Sam.Koh.CH@kkh.com.sg