RITE Cohort: RITE 23 Wednesdays Summer 2022
Team Members: Jacque McCoy, Joy Goor, Erika Ceballos, Jessica Alvear, Danielle Lembke, Nazila Malekpour, Antoinette Maimone, Andy Tsang
Team Sponsor(s): Maria Gonzalez & Elwyn Cabebe
The Problem:
Cancer Center South Bay requires a minimum of approximately 200 Real Time Location System badges per day based on a unique patient volume of approximately 300. Several times a week we do not have the required number of badges in circulation, and this has a negative impact on patient care and the patient experience.
After mapping our patient flow, we identified these gaps and created our key drivers for the project:
Project Results:
Our team actually surpassed our SMART goal and reduced the number of badges lost weekly by over half!
Reflection:
Throughout this cohort, there were several things that really led to our success:
Probably the most important thing that our team did in order to be successful was iterating and testing. We tried to use different options for making badges easier to wear and we didn’t give up! After trying wristbands, we tried a lanyard that seemed to be the most effective for our wearable technology. In order for us to be successful, these tests of change had to be quick and efficient! We also had to work hard outside of our RITE cohort in order to get all of these tests of changes completed, but the team was very amenable to finding time for this project.
Leadership involvement was also critical to ensure our staff was enthusiastic and engaged. Our team also had to be open to feedback from staff while deploying interventions. Having the staff participate in the testing helped with embedding these changes into the day-to-day work. The team was fortunate enough to also include a patient on the team to help us embrace the voice of our patients. Having this patient partner, really ensured that patient experience was at the forefront of the project.
Finally, our team leader did a wonderful job communicating and keeping us on the same page about the project. Every intervention had an owner, and our team lead ensured that everything got done in a timely manner.