Electronic patient journey boards a vital piece of the puzzle in patient flow

Abstract

Objective Internationally, there is growing interest in the applicability of visual management in healthcare, although little is known about the extent of its effectiveness. In the past 5 years technical advances have permitted the integration of all relevant data into a singular display that can improve staff efficiency, accelerate decisions, streamline workflow processes and reduce oversights and errors in clinical practice. The aim of the case study is to describe the features and application of electronic patient journey boards (EPJBs) as an enabler to accelerate patient flow that has been demonstrated and evaluated in Queensland Health hospitals. Methods In 2012 and 2013 we collected ward-specific data that was sourced from the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection, determining the top 10 overnight diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) for each ward participating in the pilots. The Statistical Output Unit within Queensland Health then provided data and analysis on the ALOS for each of these DRGs for the period following an EPJB installation, along with the ALOS for the same DRGs for the corresponding period in the previous year. Results Patient length of stay reduced and display of estimated discharge dates improved with the introduction of EPJBs along with improved communication and information management resulting in time savings from 20 min per staff member per shift to 2.5 h per ward a day. Conclusion Queensland and South Australian Health systems have succeeded in ‘making the hospital patient journey visible’ through an innovative combination of information management and prominent display of key information related to patient care portrayed on large liquid crystal display (LCD) screens in hospital wards. What is known about the topic? No published studies have explored health services developing, piloting and evaluating Electronic Patient Journey Boards in a variety of clinical settings. What does this paper add? Until recently, paper-based health records and scheduled meetings were the only way for healthcare staff to communicate information to one another. In practice, this means that information vital to patient care is infrequently communicated between team members, is recorded in different places and in different ways, and is heavily reliant on care providers seeking out the information they need to perform effectively in their role. What are the implications for practitioners? This paper can be beneficial for managers and decision-makers of all healthcare organisations when considering streamlining a patients’ journey through a hospital with the assistance of visual management tools.