SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Partners in Patient Care: Improving Efficiency and Outcomes Through Collaboration

Pdf Summary

This project describes a collaboration between Emergency Medicine (EM) and Hospital Medicine (HM) aimed at improving care quality, efficiency, and clinician experience in a 23-hour Intensive Diagnostic and Treatment Unit (IDTU). The work was motivated by common friction between departments due to different training cultures, competing pressures around throughput and cost, and limited existing frameworks for interdepartmental quality improvement.<br /><br />A multidisciplinary workgroup of physicians and advanced practice providers created a shared mission focused on patient outcomes, safety, efficiency, and positive workplace culture. In year one, the team made several concrete improvements. They analyzed failure rates in the IDTU and used the findings to refine appropriateness criteria. They also developed a utilization guide and a “No Go List” to align triage decisions between EM and HM. To improve oversight, they created new data streams to track IDTU use and strengthened closed-loop communication between the two services. In addition, they jointly reviewed congestive heart failure care pathways and triage policies.<br /><br />The appropriateness criteria used to guide IDTU placement included clinical stability, diagnostic and prognostic certainty, clearly defined endpoints, nursing burden, immune suppression status, and expected disposition complexity. These criteria helped distinguish patients likely appropriate for the IDTU from those better managed elsewhere.<br /><br />The authors conclude that small, iterative changes can empower frontline clinicians and improve care, even in high-conflict settings. They propose moving next to a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle to support future quality improvement projects and iterative testing across multiple settings. The central takeaway is that shared goals and relationship-building can meaningfully improve both patient care and interdepartmental collaboration.

Asset Subtitle

Scott A. Childers

Meta Tag

Author List Areeba Kara, Kate Lehman, Keely Phelps, Lanna Guzman, Lynette Smith-Caillouet, Nicholas Harrison, Patrick Dugan, Sarah Jones, Scott A. Childers

Category Innovations

Concept Emergency Medicine-Hospital Medicine Workgroup

Concept Appropriateness Criteria

Concept Quality Improvement

Concept IDTU Placement

Concept Communication

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Indiana University School of Medicine / Indiana University Health

Presenting Author Scott A. Childers

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

Emergency Medicine

Hospital Medicine

Intensive Diagnostic and Treatment Unit

quality improvement

interdepartmental collaboration

patient safety

care efficiency

triage criteria

closed-loop communication

Plan-Do-Study-Act

Emergency Medicine-Hospital Medicine Workgroup

Appropriateness Criteria

Quality Improvement

IDTU Placement

Communication