Parent pagers: Improving patient experience and efficiency in paediatric PACU

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience Improvement
• Pediatric Recovery Nursing

Background:

• The pediatric recovery team at Leeds Children's Hospital identified a need to enhance patient experience and operational efficiency.
• Current communication methods for contacting parents/carers post-pediatric surgery were suboptimal, leading to potential delays and patient anxiety.

Discussion:

• Implementation of an electronic pager system aimed to provide real-time updates to parents/carers.
• This system facilitates timely notification upon completion of surgery and readiness for patient transfer.
• Potential benefits include reduced parental anxiety, improved ward workflow, and better resource allocation.

Key Insights:

• Electronic pager systems can significantly improve communication efficiency in pediatric surgical recovery.
• The initiative demonstrated a positive impact on patient/parent experience by providing timely updates.
• Streamlined communication contributes to a more organized and less stressful recovery process for families.

Outlook:

• Further evaluation of long-term patient satisfaction and staff efficiency is recommended.
• Exploring integration with existing hospital communication platforms could enhance scalability.
• This quality improvement model may be adaptable to other pediatric surgical settings.