Quality Improvement of a Hip Injection Service

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Osteoarthritis poses a significant burden on public health and healthcare systems.
• Intra-articular steroid injections are an effective conservative treatment for osteoarthritis.
• Delays in treatment, specifically hip injections, exceed the National Health Service (NHS) 18-week target.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the efficiency and capacity of intra-articular hip steroid injection lists.
• To reduce patient wait times from referral to treatment (RTT).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective data collection of injection sites and waiting times (January-April 2019).
• Introduction of standardized proformas for documentation and discharge summaries.
• Comparison of appointment times pre- and post-intervention to increase patient throughput.

Main Results:

• 26% of 138 patients faced delays exceeding 18 weeks.
• Mean wait time was 14 weeks (SD 6).
• Mean appointment duration decreased from 12 min 36 sec to 8 min 36 sec post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Standardized proformas significantly improved efficiency by reducing documentation time.
• The intervention increased capacity, allowing more patients to be treated per injection list.
• This quality improvement initiative addresses NHS targets for timely patient care.