Quality Improvement Project to Reduce Wait Time for Pediatric Gastrointestinal Procedures

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations
• Quality Improvement Science
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Delays in healthcare access negatively impact patient outcomes and experiences.
• Long wait times for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures are a significant challenge.
• Optimizing patient flow is crucial for efficient healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To significantly reduce the average wait time for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.
• To improve patient satisfaction regarding the timeliness of care.
• To implement and assess the effectiveness of the A3 problem-solving methodology in a clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the A3 problem-solving methodology, centered around a multidisciplinary improvement workshop.
• Tracked outcome measures: wait time (request to completion) and patient satisfaction scores.
• Monitored process measures (scheduling efficiency) and a balancing measure (procedures per weekday) using control charts.

Main Results:

• Achieved an 82% sustained reduction in average wait times, from 145 to 26.4 days.
• Increased patient satisfaction with timeliness of access by 26.4% (from 39.7% to 50.2%).
• Reduced internal process times for scheduling and procedure completion by 74% and 77%, respectively, without affecting procedure volume.

Conclusions:

• The A3 problem-solving methodology effectively reduced endoscopic procedure wait times by 82%.
• Concurrent improvements in patient satisfaction were observed, demonstrating the value of targeted quality improvement initiatives.
• Procedures are now consistently completed within one month of the request date, enhancing patient care delivery.