Improving Utilization of the Chemotherapy Unit through Implementing the Medication Early Release Project.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Outpatient oncology infusion units face significant patient volume and resource limitations, leading to prolonged wait times.
• Long patient wait times negatively impact the overall patient experience and unit efficiency.
• A busy infusion unit serving 60-70 patients daily experienced delays due to limited nurses, chairs, and pharmacy resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reduce patient waiting times before chemotherapy treatment initiation.
• To improve the overall patient experience in the infusion unit.
• To enhance unit efficiency through better resource utilization and increased patient capacity.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary committee was formed to address delays.
• A medication early release program (MERP) was implemented, allowing early medication dispensing.
• Multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were used to optimize the MERP, alongside patient education and strict adherence to selection criteria.
• Data on wait times, drug wastage, and patient satisfaction were collected.

Main Results:

• Baseline average wait time was 2 hours and 27 minutes, reduced to 1 hour and 24 minutes after initial interventions.
• Following intensive patient education and refined MERP criteria, average wait time decreased to ≤ 60 minutes, reaching 30 minutes by November 2022.
• Drug wastage was successfully reduced to zero through process changes and patient education.
• Patient satisfaction surveys indicated improved satisfaction post-implementation.

Conclusions:

• The quality improvement project significantly reduced average patient waiting times for chemotherapy.
• The implemented MERP and associated strategies led to sustained positive outcomes for over 4 years.
• The project demonstrated a successful approach to improving efficiency and patient experience in busy oncology settings.