Significant Process Improvement After Implementation of Point of Care Testing of Creatinine in Radiology
Care Process & Redesign
National University Health System Quality Improvement
National University Health System
31 December 2019
To reduce wait time from 2.1 hours to 1 hour for outpatients arriving for CT/MRI scans without creatinine/eGFR results. The successful implementation of POCT Creatinine testing improved efficiency and enhanced patient experience.
Year Submitted: 2019
Published Date: 31 December 2019
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Quality Improvement, Workflow Redesign, Lean Methodology, Value Based Care, Patient Satisfaction
About this Content
Aims
To reduce wait time from 2.1 hours to 1 hour for outpatients arriving for CT/MRI scans without creatinine/eGFR results.
Background
Pre-intervention patients faced significant delays due to lack of POCT capabilities for creatinine testing.
Methods
Introduced POCT machines at outpatient radiology, streamlined workflows, and conducted training for implementation.
Results
Reduced wait time to 10 minutes; simplified workflow from 22 steps to 12; cost savings of SGD19.70 per patient.
Conclusion
The successful implementation of POCT Creatinine testing improved efficiency and enhanced patient experience.
Lessons Learnt
Automation and onsite testing significantly reduce patient inconvenience and improve satisfaction.
Additional Information
Recognized as a model for adopting medtech to improve workflows; plans for scaling the solution to other diagnostics.
Keywords
POCT Creatinine, Radiology, Workflow Optimization
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 |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Medical ＆ Laboratory Technology, Radiology |
Project Lead(s) | Joanne Lee, Haryati Mohamad Saleh |
Project Member(s) | Shiny Jilse |
Connect with this contributor!
Shiny Jilse - shiny_jilse@nuhs.edu.sg
Lim Sian Foong - sian_foong_lim@nuhs.edu.sg