Medical Specialties Commons^™

Small Bowel Obstruction: Facilitating Diagnosis And Optimizing Resuscitation And Management, Robin Naples, Md, Kendrick Law, Md, Quinton Campbell, Md, Ryan Bateman, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

As a common surgical emergency that presents in our Emergency Department, Small Bowel Obstruction (SBO) is a disease process where appropriate treatment relies on early detection, fluid resuscitation, and gastric decompression. Despite SBO representing a common emergency, many patients experience inadequate or delayed management as compared to established guidelines, potentially leading to suboptimal treatment and resolution of SBO. As order sets and alerts within Epic are in place for other disease processes whose management relies on timely diagnosis and fluid resuscitation (e.g. sepsis), objectives for our quality improvement plan involve incorporating elements of alerts and order sets within our …

Escalation Of Care After Admission Within 24 Hours, Joseph Jean, Md, Mitchell Berman, Md, Christopher Ponce, Md, Kory London, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objectives

1. Identify high risk patients in the ED who require hospital admission and may need higher levels of care.
2. Identify patterns or diagnoses in the ED that predispose patient care to escalations after admission.

Reduction Of The Duration Of Contact Precautions In Patients With A Positive Mrsa Swab, Fadi Al-Saiegh, Md, Phyllis Flomenberg, Md, Giuliana Labella, Rn, Kelli Mcrory, James Harrop, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background

Contact precautions (CP) in hospitals are a method of infection control in the transmission of multi-drug resistant organisms. Unfortunately, even though colonization with nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is common in asymptomatic patients (3.8-4.5%) (6,7), patients are screened for nasal MRSA since it associated with higher morbidity and mortality. However, those who test positive for nasal MRSA are kept on CP even with a cleared MRSA infection(1). At TJUH, patients were kept on CP for 24 months after a positive swab regardless of location. This, unfortunately, led to unintended negative consequences: delay in patient transfer to other facilities (e. …

Improving Emergency Department Efficiency Through Easier Access To Policies, Meryl Abrams, Md, Uma Damle, Md, Adam Brown, Do, Carlos Rodriguez, Md, Frederick Randolph, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objectives

1. We aim to help residents, faculty and auxiliary staff to more easily locate and use institutional clinical policies.
2. To improve patient safety by having the institutionally developed policies be more readily available.

Implementation Of A Volunteer Based Hospital Visitation Program For Older Adults, Mariana R. Kuperman, Md, Mph, Kristine Swartz, Md, Elizabeth Collins, Md, Jennifer Kim, Bs

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background

Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP)¹: a multi faceted, volunteer led, hospital based program has been shown to:

• Reduce the incidence of delirium
• Decrease length of stay
• Reduce hospital costs

Implementation of such a program requires upfront investment.

A smaller, volunteer based visitation program for older adults was started to provide support for the allocation of hospital resources in delirium prevention and establishment of HELP in this institution.

This research aims to investigate the program’s implementation and impact on delirium specific outcomes.

Stopping Clots While Saving Time: Creating An Epic Index For A Vital Daily Task, Juergen Kloo, Md, Jeffrey Riggio, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

• Appropriate thromboprophylaxis is a pressing issue across the united states and the rate of VTE at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is higher than hospitals of similar complexity.
• A new tool was created for our EPIC EMR, the VTE Merli Index, that provided at a glance and detailed feedback regarding VTE prophylaxis status
• Prior to implementation of the index, we studied its ease of use. Our goal was to show the tool would decrease the amount of time and number of clicks required to interrogate the EMR for relevant VTE information by at least 50%.

Every Minute Counts: Using Health Information Technology To Reduce Chart Abstraction Times, Christine Schleider, Rn, Bsn, Cnor, Adam P. Johnson, Md, Mph, Kathleen Shindle, Rn, Bsn, Ccds, Henry A. Pitt, Md, John R. Kairys, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

No abstract provided.

Application Of Alvimopan As A Component Of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (Eras) Protocol For Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy And Diversion (C&D), Thomas Hardacker, Md, Mba, May Jean Counsilman, Md, Benjamin H. Rudnick, Md, Edouard J. Trabulsi, Md, James R. Mark, Md, Leonard G. Gomella, Md, Mark J. Mann, Md, Costas D. Lallas, Md, Scott G. Hubosky, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

• Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion (C&D) is performed for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS)
• C&D patients receive one of several types of diversion depending on their age, comorbidities, functional status, and extent of disease (Figure 1)
• Post-operative length of stay (LOS) can be prolonged (9-11 days) and 30 day readmission rates and mortality elevated (30% and 1.5%); return of bowel function usually the rate-limiting step to discharge
• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols utilize pre-, intra-, and postoperative elements in order to improve return of bowel function and decrease LOS
• Alvimopan is …

Expedited Referral To Inpatient Hospice Unit Through The Jefferson Methodist Hospital Emergency Department, Brian Fromm, Md, Kory London, Md, Facep

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background

Palliative care is the branch of healthcare that aims to provide symptomatic relief for patients with chronic or incurable medical conditions. Hospice is a subcategory of palliative care in which the focus is placed on comfort to the exclusion of further curative efforts, generally reserved for patients with a life expectancy of six months or less.

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Choosing Wisely guidelines recommend that emergency physicians refer appropriate patients to hospice and palliative services. Preventing hospital admission in favor of transfer to an inpatient hospice unit “can benefit select patients resulting in both improved quality …

Implementation Of A ‘Flow’ Attending Reduces Overall Ed Length Of Stay In Telehealth Intake Model, R. Fuega, K. Maloney, R. A. Band, B. H. Slovis, K. S. London, J. L. White

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background

In an effort to improve our efficiency, the Department of Emergency Medicine recently transitioned from an in person physician triage model to a telehealth intake model. With this change, many new gaps have been identified. By uncoupling triage from the in person intake provider, we lost the ability to manage “quick” discharges, to provide secondary oversight of the patients in the internal waiting room, and to directly supervise patients seen in the fast track area. In order to address these new concerns, and to mitigate the loss felt by removing the in person provider from intake, a ‘flow’ attending …

Continuity Of Care In The Resected Pancreatic Cancer Patient Population At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Christian Fernandez, Md, Nazanin Sarpoulaki, Andrew J. Song, Md, Mark D. Hurwitz, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

• Standard of care for resectable pancreatic cancer according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines includes surgery, chemotherapy, and consideration of radiotherapy
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is a high volume institution with over 100 surgical pancreatic cancer cases per year
• Adjuvant treatment at high volume centers is recommended at all stages and inpatients at TJUH routinely receive inpatient radiation and medical oncology consultations prior to discharge to discuss the benefit of adjuvant therapies
• Despite these efforts and potential benefit to patients, the rate of follow up and delivery of adjuvant therapies at TJUH have not be characterized
• We retrospectively …

Coaching Operating Room To Pacu Handoff With A Standardized, Multidisciplinary Checklist, Courtney L. Devin, Md, Kathleen Grife, Rn, Ms, Marissa Weber, Md, Richard F. Schmidt, Md, Megan P. Lundgren, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Purpose

To pilot a standardized multidisciplinary bedside handoff for any patient admitted to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) from the operating room.

Effectiveness Of An Educational And Interdisciplinary Intervention In Reducing Continuous Cardiac Monitoring In An Academic Medical Center, Alexander Smith, Md, Rebecca Loh, Md, Philip Margiotta, Md, Bradford Hilson, Md, Alan Kubey, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Smart Aim Statement

• Our study aimed to assess the effect of a combined resident-education-and rounding-checklist-protocol intervention on the percentage of patients discharged with active CCM orders on teaching general medicine services.
• We hypothesized that our intervention would reduce the number of patients discharged on CCM (an estimate of overall inappropriate CCM use) by 50% over a 6-8 week period

Initial Response To The Opioid Crisis: Availability Of Buprenorphine And Warm Handoff In The Ed, Lauren Selame, Md, Benjamin H. Slovis, Md, Ma, Theodore Christopher, Md, Facep, Kory S. London, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Background:

• The United States is in the midst of an opioid crisis.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cited Emergency Departments (ED) as important centers for treatment and referral, including medication assisted treatment (MAT), which has been shown to be superior to motivational interviewing and referral alone.1,2
• While direct linkage to outpatient programs via the ED may be an opportunity to better serve this population, data on such “warm handoff” interventions are sparse.

Objective: We initiated an ED opioid use disorder (OUD) pathway, which aimed to initiate buprenorphine therapy and perform warm handoff directly into the community for …

Improving Postoperative Handoffs In The Neuro-Intensive Care Unit, Richard F. Schmidt, Md, Andrew Mendelson, Md, Sonia Gill, Md, Nicole Hollup, Crnp, Matthew Vibbert, Md, Coleen Vernick, Md, Giuliana Labella, Msn, Marie Wilson, Msn, Caitlin Harley, Msn, Maryanne Mccarrin, Msn, Jack Jallo, Md, Rebecca Jaffe, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

• Transitions of care represent a major source of medical errors, patient morbidity/mortality, and increased healthcare waste.
• 2018 CLER report indicated largely unfavorable responses toward handoffs and care transitions for perioperative services and neurointensive care.
• Use of the IPASS handoff tool is associated with up to 30% reduction in adverse events and 23% reduction in medical errors.
• Implementation of IPASS for postoperative handoffs in the SICU resulted in improved organization, safety, and communication.

It Takes A Village: Developing An Airway Management Bundle To Standardize Emergent Intubation Processes In The Emergency Department, James Sacca, Md, Daniel Casey Kim, Md, Dimitri Papanagnou, Md, Mph, Edd(C)

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Problem Definition

Airway management is at the core of emergent patient care. Emergent intubations in the Emergency Department (ED) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) have been noted by staff to be variable and not standardized. Staff have also described that equipment tends to be difficult to locate during intubations.

There is no objective data to confirm these claims. Furthermore, there is no bundle in place to guide emergent intubations in the ED.

Our team sought immediate actions to improve ED airway processes.

Improving Diabetic Retinopathy Screening In A Large Ambulatory Practice, Erica Li, Md, Rebecca Simon, Md, Michael Weissberger, Md, Jennifer Moyer, Md, Rachel Ehrman-Dupre, Md, Andrew Rabovsky, Md, Simon Newsom, Md, Pooja Padgaonkar, Md, Julita Mienko, Md, Sarah Hirsh, Md, Geoffrey Mills, Md, Phd

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Aim 1: To increase the percentage of JFMA diabetic patients with up-to-date retinopathy screening to 60% by April 1, 2019.

Aim 2: To increase the utilization of an in-office portable retinal scanner by identifying current barriers to its use and developing a standardized workflow to overcome these barriers.

Outcome measure: The percentage of adult diabetic patients with a JFMA provider listed as the PCP who have been seen in the Jefferson health system within the last 24 months, who had retinopathy screening once in the last 24 months.

Process measure: The number of retinal scans completed each week.

Does Specific Labelling Of Chest Radiographs To Confirm The Position Of Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheters Decrease Turn Around Time?, Patrick Lee, Md, Maansi R. Parekh, Md, Paras Lakhani, Md, Achala Donuru, Md, Baskaran Sundaram, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objectives

The primary objective of the current study was to decrease the turnaround time (TAT) of PICC CXRs. TAT was defined as the time from completion of the study to finalization of the report by the interpreting radiologist.

Implementation Of Standardized Discharge Instructions, Caitlin Hodge, Md, Quyngdiem Lam, Md, Luis A. Mejia, Md, Orlando C. Kirton, Md, Facs, Mccm, Fccp, Mba, Robert Josloff, Md, Kristin Noonan, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

Previously, same-day surgical discharge instructions were handwritten by residents on generic fill-in-the-blank forms leading to inconsistent discharge instructions. Residents started an initiative to create these standardized discharge instructions. These instructions were designed to improve documentation for post-operative instructions as well as enhance overall patient safety in an attempt to eliminate miscommunications with patients.

Improving Screening For Diabetic Retinopathy In An Ambulatory Resident Clinic, R. Benson Jones, Guy Katz, Jon Zaid, Navdeep Sangha, Rebecca Davis

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Introduction

While 60% of Americans with diabetes are screened for diabetic retinopathy, the residents in the Jefferson Internal Medicine Associates (JIMA) ambulatory clinic had a lower screening rate (roughly 50%).(1) Our project aimed to increase that screening rate.

Scanning For Qi: Resident And Sonographer Driven Improvement Of Radiology Resident Ultrasound Technique, Brian Blumhof, Md, Corinne Wessner, Bs, Rdms, Rvt, Kristen Mcclure, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objective

The aim of this structural QI project is to improve the educational ultrasound curriculum , thus improving overall resident confidence and technical ability in acquiring diagnostic quality sonographic images.

Comparing resident confidence levels and performance against their initial benchmarks as well as against yearly cohorts, we plan to create a long standing addition to the radiology residency at Jefferson, with plans to include additional ultrasound examinations as the curriculum becomes more robust.

Stakeholders include not only the radiology residency, which would benefit from improved resident education and knowledge, but also the hospital and ultimately patients, who stand to benefit …

Getting Rid Of Stupid Stuff (Gross) Committee: Residents Dedicated To Streamlining Epic-Related Workflow, Nkosi H. Alvarez, Md, Christina L. Jacovides, Md, Brian M. Till, Md, Walker Lyons, Md, Keyur Patel, Md, Richard Zheng, Md, Adam Johnson, Md, John Kairys, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objectives

• Identify specific mechanisms for submitting and implementing improvements to the Epic environment
• Standardize high-use order sets
• Incorporate high-value modular components into existing order sets
• Create new order sets to streamline resident workflows
• Improve communication between stakeholders

Optimizing Resident Clinic Efficiency Through Process Flow Analysis, Michael Abendroth, Md, Mba, Saumya Copparam, Md, Qiang Zhang, Phd, Rose Costello, Ma, Tara Uhler, Md, Robert Bailey, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Abstract

Introduction: Clinic process inefficiencies cause lengthy visit and wait times, which frustrate patients and providers and limit clinic capacity

Objective: To identify process inefficiencies and assess process flow interventions

Methods: Prospective, consecutive series of resident clinic visits over a 3-week period after transferring refraction from tech to resident. Personnel recorded the time spent waiting for and undergoing each clinic process. The clinic also piloted a “Fast Track” from registration to resident for appropriate established patients.

Results: Patients spent 53% of the visit waiting, primarily for the tech. Transferring refraction from tech to resident decreased the wait for tech …

Reducing Double Chest Ct And Unnecesary Radiation: A Quality Improvement Project, Stephan S. Leung, Md, Mansi R. Parekh, Md, Achala Donuru, Md, Paras C. Lakhani, Md, Christopher G. Roth, Md, Baskaran Sundaram, Md

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objectives

To analyze the variables resulting in double chest CTs being ordered and performed, with the aim to reduce the amount of ordered double chest CTs at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Getting To The Source: Safety Findings In Cervical Cancer Screening Using External Lab Databases, Miranda Aragon, Md, Sunny Lai, Md, Mph, Geoffrey Mills, Md, Phd

House Staff Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference (2016-2019)

Objective

To investigate the feasibility of using external lab databases to locate Pap smear results completed at outside clinics.

Generation Of Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells From Mouse Bone Marrow Cells., Yuan Zhang, Xin-Yu Lu, Giacomo Casella, Jing Tian, Ze-Qing Ye, Ting Yang, Juan-Juan Han, Ling-Yu Jia, A. M. Rostami, Xing Li

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are a subtype of glial cells responsible for myelin regeneration. Oligodendrocytes (OLGs) originate from OPCs and are the myelinating cells in the central nervous system (CNS). OLGs play an important role in the context of lesions in which myelin loss occurs. Even though many protocols for isolating OPCs have been published, their cellular yield remains a limit for clinical application. The protocol proposed here is novel and has practical value; in fact, OPCs can be generated from a source of autologous cells without gene manipulation. Our method represents a rapid, and high-efficiency differentiation protocol for generating …

Peripheral Synucleinopathy In A Dj1 Patient With Parkinson Disease, Cataracts, And Hearing Loss, Derek P. Narendra, Risa Isonaka, Diana Nguyen, Alice B. Schindler, Angela D. Kokkinis, Debra Ehrlich, Tanya M. Bardakjian, David S. Goldstein, Tsao-Wei Liang, Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Brainstem Atrophy In Focal Epilepsy Destabilizes Brainstem-Brain Interactions: Preliminary Findings., Susanne G. Mueller, Lisa M. Bateman, Maromi Nei, Alica M. Goldman, Kenneth D. Laxer

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: MR Imaging has shown atrophy in brainstem regions that were linked to autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy patients. The brainstem projects to and modulates the activation state of several wide-spread cortical/subcortical regions. The goal was to investigate 1. Impact of brainstem atrophy on gray matter connectivity of cortical/subcortical structures and autonomic control. 2. Impact on the modulation of cortical/subcortical functional connectivity.

METHODS: 11 controls and 18 patients with non-lesional focal epilepsy (FE) underwent heart rate variability (HRV) measurements and a 3 T MRI (T1 in all subjects, task-free fMRI in 7 controls/ 12 FE). The brainstem was extracted, and atrophy …

Sternoclavicular Joint Arthropathy Mimicking Radiculopathy In A Patient With Concurrent C4-5 Disc Herniation, Prateek Agarwal, Ab, Nitin Agarwal, Md, David Hansberry, Md, Phd, Neil Majmundar, Md, Ira M. Goldstein, Md

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Background

Patients with sternoclavicular joint arthropathy, which can result from septic arthritis, often present with localized sternoclavicular pain as well as shoulder pain. Such pain may be similar to the presenting symptoms of cervical intervertebral disc herniation.

Clinical presentation

A 47-year-old female presented with 1 month of significant pain in the neck as well as right anterior chest and deltoid. The patient was found to have reduced strength in the right deltoid muscle on physical examination. MRI revealed a C4-C5 herniated nucleus pulposus. The patient underwent successful C4-C5 anterior cervical discectomy, but subsequently developed painful swelling in the region of …

An Infection Control Journey In Hospital Based Practice Conversion, Cathleen Strzalka, Mph, Cph, Cic, Kelly Zabriskie, Cic

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Posters

Objective

• Effectively bring physician based practices (PBPs) under hospital licensure
• Ensure safe delivery of care
• Produce successful regulatory surveys