Lindsey Coates, MSN, RN, CEN, assistant nurse manager of the ED; Philip Landis, DNP, RN, CEN, NPD-BC, clinical nurse education specialist; and Lauren N. Ellis, MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC, nurse manager.
Patient care technicians (PCTs) have many important duties in PAH’s Emergency Department (ED) – monitoring vital signs, drawing blood and samples for testing, and tending to patients’ everyday needs. However, one task – transporting – became increasingly more frequent due to high patient volumes, which resulted in PCTs spending more time on the move, rather than dedicating their time to bedside care. Now, PCTs can balance their responsibilities more efficiently, thanks to a new quality improvement initiative developed by PAH’s ED team.
Soon after the team began looking at ways to address this challenge in 2019, it was exacerbated by higher volumes of patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic; PCTs often felt overwhelmed from the increased workload. Nurse Manager Lauren N. Ellis, MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC, collected feedback from the PCTs and examined quarterly data to determine how to best approach the situation.
“The data really told a story. Our patient volumes skyrocketed, which resulted in our PCTs having to transport patients more frequently, along with completing their other duties,” said Ellis. “Because of the increased volumes, we also saw our number of falls increase in the ED.”
The solution? Launching the project “Deflate the Rate” – creating two fulltime ED transport roles to decrease the rate of patient falls. The transporters, specially designated to the ED, are available to take patients to and from their tests and procedures within the department, giving time back to the PCTs to fully engage in care at the bedside. After the ED welcomed the new transporters in 2021, the number of falls decreased by 70 percent.
“Falls are more commonly seen among an older adult population,” said Philip Landis, DNP, RN, CEN, NPD-BC, clinical nurse education specialist. “This initiative has created opportunities to enhance our practices for this community. Being able to spend more time at the bedside allows the PCTs to have more meaningful interactions with the patients, and in doing so, keep them safe from any risks of falling.”
The success of the project was recently awarded the 2022 NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) and ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Foundation Choosing Wisely Trailblazer Award. The ED team was recognized for their leadership in improving quality care and promoting age-friendly practices. This spring, members of the ED team will be attending the NICHE conference in New Orleans to discuss “Deflate the Rate” as part of a poster presentation.
“Taking the time to listen to the team and crunch some numbers, looking at our data and resources available, had a positive impact on patients and staff alike. This not only improved our patient outcomes, but it boosted our staff satisfaction as well,” said Ellis. “This is one of my proudest moments as a leader. I hope our project inspires other hospitals at the conference to apply these impactful practices in their own departments.”