Purpose
This project aimed to:
1) Improve the experience of patients in interventional radiology through better information and preparation.
2) Reduce the number of appointments lost through patients not attending, or which were cancelled at short notice/abandoned.
In 2017 6% of interventional radiology procedures at our institution did not go forward because the patient did not attend (DNA). Eight percentof procedures were cancelled for a number of reasons including that some of the patients had not completed the required preparation for interventional procedures and 2% of...
Methods and materials
This project used quality improvement and co-design methodology.
Co-design is an approach to design which actively involves all stakeholders in the design process to help ensure the result meets their needs [1]. Co-design, improvement and innovation tools were used to engage stakeholders, understand their views, test ideas and gather feedback and review.Radiologists, radiographers, nurses, booking staff, IT specialistsand patients were involved in the project, which was facilitated by the CMDHB quality improvement team.
We included patients who regularly attended procedures (such asarteriovenous fistulograms) in addition...
Results
Significant issues identified by patients included:
Not knowing what to expect at their appointment
Frustration around waiting times and appointment cancellation
Difficulty contacting Radiology
Information regarding parking and public transport
Information not getting to patients in a timely way, not being able to fill recently vacant appointment slots at short notice
Patient attending appointments not appropriately prepared
Pain
Patient appointment letters have traditionally been poorly formatted leading to difficulties in finding relevant information such as "nil by mouth" instructions.
Although text messages can be a...
Conclusion
Better communication with radiology patients can help to reduce anxiety and improve the patient experience [5]. It can also improve the efficiency of the department by reducing DNAs [6], delays, cancellations and abandoned procedures.
It is important to consider the needs and preferences of patients when designing methods of communicating with them regarding radiology procedures.is requires staff to challenge existing practices and material such as appointment letters and information leaflets.This can be achieved by innovative practiceswhich should includeco-design with the multi-disciplinary team and patients.
The...
Personal information
For further information please contact:
Dr Stuart Barnard
Department of Radiology
Middlemore Hospital
Private Bag 93311
Otahuhu
Auckland 1640
New Zealand
[email protected]
References
1. Boyd H, McKernon S, Mullin B, Old A. Improving healthcare through the use of co-design. N Z Med J. 2012 Jun 29;125(1357):76-87
2. Guy R, Hocking J, Wand H, Stott S, Ali H, Kaldor J. How effective are short
message service reminders at increasing clinic attendance? A meta-analysis and systematic review. Health Serv Res. 2012 Apr;47(2):614-32.
3. Junod Perron N, Dao MD, Righini NC, Humair JP, Broers B, Narring F, Haller DM, Gaspoz JM. Text-messaging versus telephone reminders to reduce missed
appointments in an...