SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Improving Hospital Admission Time by 35%

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This project focused on improving hospital admission flow from the Emergency Department to the inpatient setting. After more than 100 hours of observation, the team identified major bottlenecks in handoffs, communication between nursing and physician groups, the hospital medicine admission process, medication history completion, and patient flow during the first 24 hours.<br /><br />Several workflow changes were implemented. Hospitalists and pharmacy technicians were moved to a shared workspace near the Emergency Department to improve communication. Hospitalist admitters were limited to one patient at a time to improve focus and efficiency, with a maximum of three patients during peak hours. These changes helped streamline the process and reduce delays.<br /><br />The results were significant. The time required for hospital medicine to admit a patient was reduced by 54 minutes, contributing to an overall 35% improvement in hospital admission time. Medication history completion also improved: on the day shift, completion before the admission process began increased from 73% to 95%.<br /><br />The project concluded that simple process redesigns can create major benefits for both patients and staff. Improved co-location, fewer handoffs, and better workflow alignment can save time and improve communication without requiring additional cost or resources.

Asset Subtitle

Nadia H. Pasha

Meta Tag

Author List Amal Youssef, Eliseu Y. Chuang, Nadia H. Pasha, Ruwan Gamarallage, Zahra Mahbooba

Category Innovations

Concept Hospital Admission Process

Concept Patient Flow

Concept Handoff Quality

Concept Admission Time

Concept Medication History Completion

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Duke University Health System

Presenting Author Nadia H. Pasha

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

hospital admission flow

emergency department

inpatient setting

handoffs

communication

workflow redesign

hospital medicine admission

medication history

patient flow

process improvement

Hospital Admission Process

Patient Flow

Handoff Quality

Admission Time

Medication History Completion