A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit
Background. The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources. However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies. Methods. A time and motion analysis of patient...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2574076 |
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| author | Rowena Almeida William G. Paterson Nancy Craig Lawrence Hookey |
| author_facet | Rowena Almeida William G. Paterson Nancy Craig Lawrence Hookey |
| author_sort | Rowena Almeida |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources. However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies. Methods. A time and motion analysis of patient flow through the Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario) endoscopy unit was followed by qualitative interviews. Procedures were directly observed in three segments: individual endoscopy room use, preprocedure/recovery room, and overall endoscopy unit utilization. Results. Data were collected for 137 procedures in the endoscopy room, 139 procedures in the preprocedure room, and 143 procedures for overall room utilization. The mean duration spent in the endoscopy room was 31.47 min for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 52.93 min for a colonoscopy, 30.47 min for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 66.88 min for a double procedure. The procedure itself accounted for 8.11 min, 34.24 min, 9.02 min, and 39.13 min for the above procedures, respectively. The focused interviews identified the scheduling template as a major area of operational inefficiency. Conclusions. Despite reasonable procedure times for all except colonoscopies, the endoscopy room durations exceed the allocated times, reflecting the impact of non-procedure-related factors and the need for a revised scheduling template. Endoscopy units have unique operational characteristics and identification of process inefficiencies can lead to targeted quality improvement initiatives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e31c18bea5ab455fa7dae29729d25d8f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2291-2789 2291-2797 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e31c18bea5ab455fa7dae29729d25d8f2025-02-03T01:12:29ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology2291-27892291-27972016-01-01201610.1155/2016/25740762574076A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy UnitRowena Almeida0William G. Paterson1Nancy Craig2Lawrence Hookey3Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaGastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaGastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaGastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CanadaBackground. The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources. However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies. Methods. A time and motion analysis of patient flow through the Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario) endoscopy unit was followed by qualitative interviews. Procedures were directly observed in three segments: individual endoscopy room use, preprocedure/recovery room, and overall endoscopy unit utilization. Results. Data were collected for 137 procedures in the endoscopy room, 139 procedures in the preprocedure room, and 143 procedures for overall room utilization. The mean duration spent in the endoscopy room was 31.47 min for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 52.93 min for a colonoscopy, 30.47 min for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 66.88 min for a double procedure. The procedure itself accounted for 8.11 min, 34.24 min, 9.02 min, and 39.13 min for the above procedures, respectively. The focused interviews identified the scheduling template as a major area of operational inefficiency. Conclusions. Despite reasonable procedure times for all except colonoscopies, the endoscopy room durations exceed the allocated times, reflecting the impact of non-procedure-related factors and the need for a revised scheduling template. Endoscopy units have unique operational characteristics and identification of process inefficiencies can lead to targeted quality improvement initiatives.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2574076 |
| spellingShingle | Rowena Almeida William G. Paterson Nancy Craig Lawrence Hookey A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| title | A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit |
| title_full | A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit |
| title_fullStr | A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit |
| title_short | A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit |
| title_sort | patient flow analysis identification of process inefficiencies and workflow metrics at an ambulatory endoscopy unit |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2574076 |
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