Lisa Romano, RN, MSN, senior vice president and CNO of TeleTracking Technologies, shared a checklist for nurses to optimize patient flow on TeleTracking's blog.
Here is the nine-item checklist:
1. Advocate for proper patient placement. For example, nurses can participate in multidisciplinary rounds to evaluate patient needs and contribute information, according to the blog.
2. Collaborate with internists, surgeons and case management. Collaboration can ensure the patient is on the path to a successful discharge.
3. Work as part of a team. Teams can coordinate care to increase the likelihood of being able to discharge patients early.
4. Facilitate transfer of intensive care unit patients to step-down when they no longer meet ICU admission criteria. "Don't keep patients in the ICU for the physician's convenience," Ms. Romano says.
5. Know the status of your patients. Nurses should track patients' status, such as whether they are observation patients or inpatients.
6. Reduce length of stay by adhering to infection prevention protocol. In the ICU, nurses should use tools such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and bloodstream infection bundles to prevent infection and decrease length of stay.
7. Allow the receiving nurse the opportunity to ask questions. A hand-off reporting tool can help ensure open communication between nurses and other providers when transferring patients.
8. Collaborate with social services/case management early in the patient stay. Nurses should make discharge preparations early for patients at risk of a delayed discharge or a readmission.
9. Be part of the solution. Nurses should be the coordinators of care, according to Ms. Romano.
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Here is the nine-item checklist:
1. Advocate for proper patient placement. For example, nurses can participate in multidisciplinary rounds to evaluate patient needs and contribute information, according to the blog.
2. Collaborate with internists, surgeons and case management. Collaboration can ensure the patient is on the path to a successful discharge.
3. Work as part of a team. Teams can coordinate care to increase the likelihood of being able to discharge patients early.
4. Facilitate transfer of intensive care unit patients to step-down when they no longer meet ICU admission criteria. "Don't keep patients in the ICU for the physician's convenience," Ms. Romano says.
5. Know the status of your patients. Nurses should track patients' status, such as whether they are observation patients or inpatients.
6. Reduce length of stay by adhering to infection prevention protocol. In the ICU, nurses should use tools such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and bloodstream infection bundles to prevent infection and decrease length of stay.
7. Allow the receiving nurse the opportunity to ask questions. A hand-off reporting tool can help ensure open communication between nurses and other providers when transferring patients.
8. Collaborate with social services/case management early in the patient stay. Nurses should make discharge preparations early for patients at risk of a delayed discharge or a readmission.
9. Be part of the solution. Nurses should be the coordinators of care, according to Ms. Romano.
More Articles on TeleTracking:
Optimizing Capacity Management Can Significantly Affect ROI
TeleTracking Launches Updated Versions of Capacity Management Software
26 Healthcare Leaders React to the Supreme Court's Decision to Uphold the PPACA