Interprofessional Huddle: One Children’s Hospital’s Approach to Improving Patient Flow.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement
• Patient Flow Optimization

Background:

• Prompt admission of pediatric patients to appropriate specialty units is crucial for safe, quality care.
• Inefficient patient flow and communication breakdowns can delay critical care.
• A daily morning huddle was implemented as a quality improvement project to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a daily morning huddle on patient flow in a children's hospital.
• To assess changes in pediatric emergency department (ED) boarding times before and after huddle implementation.
• To determine if improved interprofessional and interdepartmental communication influences patient flow.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, descriptive study at a regional children's hospital.
• Data collected from electronic medical records for pre-huddle (n=450) and post-huddle (n=329) periods.
• Measured boarding times from ED admission orders to transfer to PICU or pediatric ward.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant reduction in boarding times was observed post-huddle implementation (p < 0.001).
• Median boarding time decreased from 3.0 hours pre-huddle to 2.6 hours post-huddle.
• The daily huddle appears to be a contributing factor to improved patient flow.

Conclusions:

• Daily morning huddles can enhance interprofessional and interdepartmental collaboration, thereby improving patient flow from the ED.
• This quality improvement strategy is vital for optimizing patient care, safety, and outcomes in pediatric settings.
• Further research is needed to explore optimal huddle formats and contexts for patient flow and outcomes.