Reducing Delays in MRIs Under Sedation and General Anesthesia Using Quality Improvement Tools

Develop structured, quality improvement interventions to achieve a 15%-point reduction in MRIs performed under sedation or general anesthesia (GA) delayed more than 15 min within a 6-month period.

A prospective audit of MRIs under sedation or GA from January 2022 to June 2023 was conducted. A multidisciplinary team performed process mapping and root cause analysis for delays. Interventions were developed and implemented over four Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles, targeting workflow standardization, preadmission patient counseling, reinforcing adherence to scheduled scan times and written consent respectively. Delay times (compared with Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests), delays more than 15 min and delays of 60 min or more at baseline and after each PDSA cycle were recorded.

In all, 627 MRIs under sedation or GA were analyzed, comprising 443 at baseline and 184 postimplementation. Of the 627, 556 (88.7%) scans were performed under sedation, 22 (3.5%) under monitored anesthesia care, and 49 (7.8%) under GA. At baseline, 71.6% (317 of 443) scans were delayed over 15 min and 28.2% (125 of 443) scans by 60 min or more, with a median delay of 30 min. Postimplementation, there was a 34.7%-point reduction in scans delayed more than 15 min, a 17.5%-point reduction in scans delayed by 60 min or more, and a reduction in median delay time by 15 min (P < .001).

Structured interventions significantly reduced delays in MRIs under sedation and GA, potentially improving outcomes for both patients and providers. Key factors included a diversity of perspectives in the study team, continued stakeholder engagement and structured quality improvement tools including PDSA cycles.