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A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit
Joint Authors
Hookey, Lawrence
Almeida, Rowena
Paterson, William G.
Craig, Nancy
Source
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Issue
Vol. 2016, Issue 2016 (31 Dec. 2016), pp.1-7, 7 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2016-03-29
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
7
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Background.
The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources.
However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies.
Methods.
A time and motion analysis of patient flow through the Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario) endoscopy unit was followed by qualitative interviews.
Procedures were directly observed in three segments: individual endoscopy room use, preprocedure/recovery room, and overall endoscopy unit utilization.
Results.
Data were collected for 137 procedures in the endoscopy room, 139 procedures in the preprocedure room, and 143 procedures for overall room utilization.
The mean duration spent in the endoscopy room was 31.47 min for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 52.93 min for a colonoscopy, 30.47 min for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 66.88 min for a double procedure.
The procedure itself accounted for 8.11 min, 34.24 min, 9.02 min, and 39.13 min for the above procedures, respectively.
The focused interviews identified the scheduling template as a major area of operational inefficiency.
Conclusions.
Despite reasonable procedure times for all except colonoscopies, the endoscopy room durations exceed the allocated times, reflecting the impact of non-procedure-related factors and the need for a revised scheduling template.
Endoscopy units have unique operational characteristics and identification of process inefficiencies can lead to targeted quality improvement initiatives.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Almeida, Rowena& Paterson, William G.& Craig, Nancy& Hookey, Lawrence. 2016. A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology،Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1099855
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Almeida, Rowena…[et al.]. A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology No. 2016 (2016), pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1099855
American Medical Association (AMA)
Almeida, Rowena& Paterson, William G.& Craig, Nancy& Hookey, Lawrence. A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2016. Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1099855
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1099855