• Establishment of new patient experience standards
• Enhanced charge nurse role
• Revised performance expectations
• Implementation of novice nurse training
These change initiatives would be consistently monitored via the performance metrics built into the new ED dashboard. Through the use of the dashboard, the consultants were able to drill down on the root causes of throughput issues, analyzing factors by the month, day – even by the hour – as well as by the physician and by patient demographics. As the process changes were implemented, the dashboard metrics were used to measure impact and delineate which new processes were most successful and which processes needed additional change to reach the highest potential.
The consultants provided dashboard training to MHCH’s active users, to demonstrate how they are able to drill down to the root-causes of performance issues, as well as offer maintenance support and ongoing consulting guidance. The dashboard is updated from MHCH’s system data daily via automatic uploads from multiple sources to maintain ongoing transparency of the department’s performance and help reliably sustain improvements.
The impact of the performance dashboard was not limited exclusively to the analytics and performance improvement teams. The dashboard also sent performance snapshots via automated daily emails to stakeholders, including MHCH’s hospital C-suite, medical directors, and nursing leadership within the ED. The emails provide the most relevant information to each person, based on their role. This level of visibility ensured all key stakeholders had direct access to the performance trends so they would have the information they needed in a single dashboard view.
The consultants also recommended education initiatives including educating staff on the 5-level Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage system including inter-rater reliability, ED patient experience standards, and a customized novice nurse curriculum. The education programs were well-received by staff and leadership alike.
“The Philips team provided exceptional clinical and operational expertise and became part of our Emergency Department team,” said Debbie Locklair, MEd, FACHE, senior vice president and regional administrator for McLeod Health. “They collaborated with our staff to implement process changes, create an analytics dashboard and develop training programs. Together, these initiatives have had a significant impact on our Quality Metrics performance and patient satisfaction scores with overall wait times.”
