Focused Echocardiograms Allow Cardiac Diagnostic Laboratory to Accommodate More Breast Cancer Patients
Care Process & Redesign
National University Health System Quality Improvement
National University Health System
31 December 2023
Accommodate 80% of breast cancer patients for echocardiograms without special arrangements and sustain this workflow for at. The focused echocardiogram model was successful in reducing wait times, allowing more patients to be seen, and is now a sustainable.
Year Submitted: 2023
Published Date: 31 December 2023
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Quality Improvement, Workflow Redesign, Value Based Care, Patient Satisfaction, Access To Care, Waiting Time
About this Content
Aims
Accommodate 80% of breast cancer patients for echocardiograms without special arrangements and sustain this workflow for at least 6 months.
Background
Echocardiograms were in limited supply, causing long wait times for breast cancer patients on anthracycline treatment who required regular monitoring.
Methods
Introduced focused echocardiograms to assess only left heart function, reducing scan time from 60 minutes to 15 minutes, and integrated this into the regular workload.
Results
Accommodated 80% of breast cancer patients without special arrangements, improving throughput; satisfied patients and physicians.
Conclusion
The focused echocardiogram model was successful in reducing wait times, allowing more patients to be seen, and is now a sustainable practice.
Lessons Learnt
Fine-tuning processes rather than increasing resources can address high demand effectively.
Keywords
Echocardiograms, Breast Cancer, Patient Experience, Cardiology, Lab Efficiency
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) | Allied Health, Nursing, Medical, Healthcare Administration |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Cardiology, Oncology |
Project Lead(s) | Loh Yu Xuan |
Project Member(s) | Amy Koh Yoke Leng |
Connect with this contributor!
Loh Yu Xuan - Loh_YX@nuhs.edu.sg