Case Studies
The Problem Pneumonia accounts for 15 percent of all hospital-associated infections. It is the second most common hospital-associated infection after urinary tract infections. The primary risk factor for the development of hospital-associated bacterial pneumonia is mechanical ventilation. Fatality…
The Problem Advocate Christ Medical Center's space in the admittance bay area and resource usage was unable to meet the increase in demand. An average GI patient experienced 70 minutes of total wait time, with 19 minutes of this wait time occurring in the procedure room. Only 24 percent of GI…
The Problem Wait times in the hospital's inpatient rehabilitation center were unacceptable; some patients were refusing physical and occupational therapy as a result. Patient satisfaction scores reflected the frustration patients felt. The Solution Using Lean methodology, St. John's…
The organization was recording more patient falls than its leadership considered acceptable; approximately 25 falls each month. The nursing performance improvement department tracked falls and reported them to the Quality Indicator Project, a project of the Maryland Hospital Association, whose data…
The Problem Emergency departments across the nation are being stretched as more Americans rely on them for primary care. ED patient visits climbed 36 percent between 1999 and 2006, according to the CDC. As an urban safety-net hospital, Mount Sinai faced an even tougher challenge. When nearby…
The Problem In a 2008 medical staff satisfaction survey, 93 percent of Advocate Good Shepherd physicians indicated overall satisfaction with the hospital. However, the satisfaction rate for hospital laboratory turnaround times was between 50 percent and 60 percent. In addition, a discharge-time…
The ProblemMedication reconciliation—comparing a patient's medication orders to all medications the patient has been taking—helps to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors and drug interactions. The Institute for Safe Medication Practice estimates…