Decreasing Wait Times and Increasing Patient Satisfaction: A Lean Six Sigma Approach.

Background: Patient satisfaction scores in the vascular interventional radiology department were low, especially related to wait times in registration and for tests/treatments, with low scores for intentions to recommend.

Purpose: The purpose of our quality improvement project was to decrease wait times and improve patient satisfaction using Lean Six Sigma's define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC) framework with a pre-/postintervention design.

Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in wait times (P < .

Symptom clusters, functional status, and quality of life in older adults with osteoarthritis.

Background: One in two people may develop symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in their lifetime. Many OA sufferers have multiple symptoms, including pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms. Determining whether symptom clusters exist among these older adults and what their effects are on outcomes such as quality of life (QOL) and functional status is essential to provide evidence-based geriatric healthcare.

Differences in intraoperative prep solutions: a retrospective chart review.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common type of health care-associated infection in surgical patients. We wanted to identify which intraoperative prep solution used in our health network for adult open abdominal surgical procedures resulted in the lowest incidence of SSI 30 days after surgery. In addition, we wanted to know specifically how parachoroxylenol compared with chlorhexidine gluconate, povidone-iodine, and 0.

Intraoperative patient skin prep agents: is there a difference?

For health care institutions, intraoperative prep agents are a critical link in combating surgical site infections and the associated economic burden. The question remains, is there an intraoperative prep agent that is truly superior to the others? We conducted a literature review to examine available empirical evidence related to intraoperative prep agents used in our health system for open abdominal, general surgery procedures: povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine gluconate, parachoroxylenol, and iodine povacrylex in 74% isopropyl alcohol. Intraoperative surgical skin prep studies were limited in providing empirical evidence to support one superior prep agent.

Creating a successful certification examination review program: the nursing process approach.

The nursing professional development specialist has an increasing expectation to design and implement learning activities for professional nurses. These activities are critical in developing excellence in nursing practice. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a step-by-step approach to the development of a continuing education program, using the nursing process as an organizing framework.