Improving care of patients with trigger finger and increasing the productivity of doctors
Care Process & Redesign
Workforce Transformation
National University Health System Quality Improvement
National University Health System
31 December 2020
Increase the conversion rate of patients seen by doctors for treatments requiring their input from 45% to 80%, reduce nil. NAC successfully reduced the burden on specialists and improved care accessibility.
Year Submitted: 2020
Published Date: 31 December 2020
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Workforce Transformation, Quality Improvement, Clinical Practice Improvement, Job Redesign, Upskilling
About this Content
Aims
Increase the conversion rate of patients seen by doctors for treatments requiring their input from 45% to 80%, reduce nil interventions from 16% to 5%, and lower costs for non-specialist attention.
Background
Trigger finger is the most common elective outpatient condition, often requiring specialized care that overwhelms doctors.
Methods
Established Nurse Assessment Clinics (NAC) with inclusion/exclusion criteria and trained nurses to assess and counsel patients; data collected over 9 months.
Results
Conversion rate for specialist-required treatment rose to 100%; nil intervention reduced to 1%; streamlined referrals and reduced costs.
Conclusion
NAC successfully reduced the burden on specialists and improved care accessibility.
Lessons Learnt
Clear protocols and templates enable effective nurse-led assessments and improve overall patient outcomes.
Keywords
Trigger Finger, Nurse Assessment, Workflow Redesign, Patient Care
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National University Health System |
Organization(s) Involved | National University Hospital, National University Polyclinics |
Platform(s) | National University Health System Quality Improvement |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Medical |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Orthopaedics, Surgery |
Project Lead(s) | Renita Sirisena |
Project Member(s) | Rahimah Bahri |
Connect with this contributor!
Dr. Renita Sirisena - renita_sirisena@nuhs.edu.sg
Project Attachment
32_NUH_Improving_care_of_patients_with_trigger_finger_combine.pdf