Optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in the isolation ward for patients with coronavirus disease 2019

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Infectious Disease Control
• Process Optimization

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented unique challenges for healthcare systems, particularly in isolation wards.
• Efficient patient care workflows are crucial for managing infectious diseases while ensuring patient satisfaction and resource optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of optimizing the intravenous infusion workflow in isolation wards for COVID-19 patients.
• To assess improvements in work efficiency, patient satisfaction, and economic indicators following workflow optimization.

Main Methods:

• The study applied Hamer's Process Reengineering Theory to optimize the intravenous infusion workflow.
• A comparative analysis was conducted on work efficiency, patient satisfaction, and economic factors before and after workflow optimization.
• Key metrics included drug preparation time, intravenous admixture time, patient waiting time, patient satisfaction rates, and personal protective equipment (PPE) costs.

Main Results:

• Optimized workflow led to statistically significant reductions in drug preparation time (4.84 to 3.50 min), admixture time (4.03 to 2.60 min), and patient waiting time (34.33 to 30.87 min).
• Patient satisfaction increased substantially from 66.7% to 93.3%.
• Daily costs for PPE decreased from 46.67 sets and 186.6 CNY to 36.17 sets and 144.6 CNY.

Conclusions:

• Optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow is an effective strategy for enhancing efficiency in COVID-19 patient care.
• The optimized workflow significantly improves patient satisfaction and leads to considerable cost savings in personal protective equipment.
• Process reengineering principles can be successfully applied to critical care settings to improve operational and economic outcomes.