Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb;28(1):23-29.
doi: 10.1007/s10140-020-01803-3. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Lean-driven interventions, including a dedicated radiologist, improve diagnostic imaging turnaround time and radiology report time at the emergency department

Bente M de Kok  1 , Bram Eijlers  2 , M Christien van der Linden  3 , Henriette M E Quarles van Ufford  2
Affiliations

Lean-driven interventions, including a dedicated radiologist, improve diagnostic imaging turnaround time and radiology report time at the emergency department

Bente M de Kok et al. Emerg Radiol. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: Emergency departments (EDs) worldwide face crowding, which negatively affects patient care. Diagnostic imaging plays a major role in management of ED patients and contributes to patients' length of stay at the ED. In this study, the impact of Lean-driven interventions on the imaging process at the ED was assessed.

Methods: During a 6-month multimodal intervention period, Lean-driven interventions and a dedicated radiologist present at the ED were implemented during peak hours (12 a.m.-8 p.m.). Data concerning patient population, radiology department turnaround time (RDTT), radiology report time (RRT), and examination time (ET) for ED patients were compared with a control period of 6 months 1 year earlier.

Results: RDTT, RRT, and ET were significantly shorter in the intervention period compared with those in the control period. Median RDTT was respectively 36 min (interquartile range (IQR) 24-56) and 70 min (IQR 39-127), RRT 11 min (IQR 6-21) and 37 min (IQR 15-88), and ET 22 min (IQR 14-35) and 23 min (14-38).

Conclusion: Lean-driven interventions on the imaging process at the ED significantly reduced RDTT, RRT, and ET.

Keywords: Crowding; Emergency department; Imaging; Quality improvement; Radiology turnaround time; Staffing.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Carter EJ, Pouch SM, Larson EL (2014) The relationship between emergency department crowding and patient outcomes: a systematic review. J Nurs Scholarsh 46:106–115 - DOI
    1. Pines JM, Griffey RT (2015) What we have learned from a decade of ED crowding research. Acad Emerg Med 22:985–987 - DOI
    1. Derlet RW, Richards JR (2002) Emergency department overcrowding in Florida, New York, and Texas. South Med J 95:846–849 - DOI
    1. Van der Linden C, Reijnen R, Derlet RW, Lindeboom R, Van Der Linden N, Lucas C et al (2013) Emergency department crowding in the Netherlands: managers’ experiences. Int J Emerg Med 6:41 - DOI
    1. DeFlorio R, Coughlin B, Coughlin R, Li H, Santoro J, Akey B, Favreau M (2008) Process modification and emergency department radiology service. Emerg Radiol 15:405–412 - DOI