Diagnostics Task and Finish Group Report - 18 Weeks

NHS Ayrshire and ArranEmergency Based Improvements Leading to an Increase in DiagnosticCapacityDevelopment of a Transfusion Dependent Anaemia pathwayThis aimed at reducing patients’ hospital stays. Suitable patients are identified byPhysicians at discharge before entering the pathway at the next transfusion. The patient’sGP submits a transfusion sample which allows the ward and lab to agree when blood willbe ready before arranging the patient’s admission. The patient is then admitted directly tothe ward rather than via A&E.Reduction in duplicate blood samplingApproximately 30 patients are admitted each day to the emergency receiving ward inCrosshouse Hospital from A&E. Before the improvement work began, around 9% ofthese patients had blood samples taken in A&E and these were repeated in the receivingward (within 24 hours) for no clear reason. The improvement involved introducing the useof a clerk-in form in A&E whereby the tests taken were already logged on the form.Unnecessary repeated tests were reduced to 2% of the patient group, or a saving of 764tests per year.This improvement also led to the bloods being taken routinely in A&E rather than waitingtill the patient was admitted, which reduced the turnaround time for results by an averageof 4 hours.For further information, please contact: Joan.McGhee@aaaht.scot.nhs.ukDiagnostics Task and Finish Group Report - V1.0 December 201134