Reduction in Average Length of Stay in Emergency Department of a Low-Income Country's Cancer Hospital.

  • Qurratulain Shakoor Department of Quality & Patient Safety, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Haroon Hafeez Department of Internal Medicine, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Atif Saleem Department of Internal Medicine, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Zubair Shabbir Khanzada Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Hira Safir Department of Quality & Patient Safety, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Zainab Ajmal Department of Internal Medicine, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Kashif Sajjad Department of Internal Medicine, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37029/jcas.v10i1.537
Keywords: Cancer hospital, emergency room, length of stay, Six Sigma

Abstract

Introduction: Prolonged length of stay (LOS) in emergency departments (ED) is a widespread problem in every hospital around the globe. Multiple factors cause it and can have a negative impact on the quality of care provided to the patients and the patient satisfaction rates. This project aimed to ensure that the average LOS of patients in a tertiary care cancer hospital stays below 3 hours. Materials and Methods: The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) approach was followed. Results: The average LOS was 166 minutes before implementing interventions. The two primary reasons for the increased length of stay were delays secondary to physician assessment and diagnostic lab reports. Strategies were defined to control these factors, which helped reduce the average length of stay to 142 minutes, a 30% reduction. Conclusion: A process improvement model similar to this project is recommended to enhance the quality of hospital services. It will provide valuable insights into the process flow and assist in gathering precise data on the various steps involved. The data collected can then be analyzed to identify potential causes and make informed decisions that can significantly improve hospital processes.

Published
2023-11-10
How to Cite
1.
Shakoor Q, Hafeez H, Saleem A, Shabbir Khanzada Z, Safir H, Ajmal Z, Sajjad K. Reduction in Average Length of Stay in Emergency Department of a Low-Income Country’s Cancer Hospital. J Cancer Allied Spec [Internet]. 2023Nov.10 [cited 2024Apr.27];10(1). Available from: https://journals.sfu.ca/jcas/index.php/jcas/article/view/537
Issue
Vol 10 No 1 (2024): Journal of Cancer & Allied Specialties
Section
Original Research Article
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