Jenny
A hospital receives several patient complaints about wait times from patient surveys. From a data perspective, what should be done to locate a root cause?
Several metrics related to the availability of beds could be assessed to find the root cause of unusually long wait times for admission: length of stay, re-admission, number of available beds in the hospital, ED capacity alert status (or number of available beds in the ED, number of Boarders in the ED, and number of patients in the ED waiting room).
What type of reporting information should be reviewed and why?
Looking at these key metrics over the period when the complaint letters were received in comparison to the levels of these metrics during an average green capacity alert status day would help identify the root cause. The metrics that are higher than an average green capacity alert day could be more fully investigated and strategies to alleviate the issue could be developed.
Thomas
From a data perspective, what should be done to locate a root cause?
Start with an analysis of staffing productivity and availability as well as the extent facility supplies and equipment that are needed to provide care to patients currently admitted or in the ED. Calculating the total patient population, hospital bed capacity, possible admits, and possible discharges would help the hospital understand any delays, lack of staffing or availability of equipment.
What type of reporting information should be reviewed and why?
Understanding the patient flow throughout the hospital is important for determining wait time causes. Since patients can be admitted through the ED, scheduled admit, procedures, and transfers, we have to know why they are being seen and if staffing or facilities are available to provide care. Length of stay (LOS) and readmission rate are key indicators of the health of a hospital (Newman, 2018). In my experience, Press Ganey responses from patients are always a great tool to understand a patient’s perspective about the care they receive and wait times.
Reference:
Newman JS (2018) The Heart of the Hospital. Mayo Clin Proc. Article in Press, Published online: 10 October 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.06.017
Andy
What should be done to locate a root cause?
To locate the root cause it should have one piece of data that can be organized on what could cause the wait time like registration, admitted patients, discharge patients, and time to be seen by the physician. Therefore, you can see and evaluate the cause and find a solution for it. There are a few root causes for patient wait times. One of the causes can be too much paperwork and this can cause an excess wait time. Since some patients take longer to complete forms than others, it causes overcrowding and adds to waiting times. By preparing the paperwork for tomorrow’s patient appointments at the end of today, you’ll achieve significant efficiency. Another cause is that checking tasks takes too long. So, to solve this issue, collecting patients’ information in advance and storing it in the hospital data would be great. And also giving an option to use an online check-in system to patients could save a lot of time, patients could check-in in advance of their appointment.
What type of reporting information should be reviewed and why?
I would say that analytical reports need to be reviewed. This report type combines real-time data with structured and unstructured data to provide helpful information to help in decision-making. This report style also tries to give suggestions for the following actions and assistance with problem-solving. With this awareness, hospitals may develop plans based on analytical data.