Transporting patients on the fast track

Department: Inpatient Transportation, San Diego Medical Center, Southern California

Value Compass: Service

Problem: Slow turnaround times in moving patients between departments or at discharge

Metric: Turnaround time

Labor co-lead: Tony Hawkins, transport aide, OPEIU Local 30

Management co-lead: Linda Jenkins, manager of transportation and lift departments

Small tests of change:

• Place gurneys and wheelchairs on various floors so equipment is stationed where it will be needed.
• Clean and prepare the equipment right after each use instead of waiting until it is needed again.
• Use down time to check the equipment and put a sheet and blanket on gurneys.
• Designate a staff member to ensure the equipment is in place so others don’t have to look for it.
• Communicate with patients in a consistent way. Employees introduce themselves, tell the patient where they are going, and make sure a nurse is available when they arrive to answer questions.
• Attend UBT meetings in in-patient departments to help other staff better understand patient transport policies and processes, focusing on how to work together more efficiently.

Results: In June 2010, the turnaround time (from the time transport is dispatched to the time the patient gets to his or her destination) was 22 minutes. It was 15 minutes in June 2011. During the same period, the number of patients transported increased by 13 percent. Turnaround times slipped late in the year, when work was being done on the medical center’s elevators, but the team has continued to beat the 2010 benchmark.