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Poster F: Implementing a Standardized Process for Cardiology Follow Up Post Cardiac Admission to Hospital (11:15)

May 27, 2023 from 11:05am EDT to 11:45am EDT

Poster F: Implementing a Standardized Process for Cardiology Follow Up Post Cardiac Admission to Hospital - 11:15

St. Paul’s Hospital is the largest quaternary cardiac centre in British Columbia. Seamless transition of care for our patients to the community is essential in discharge planning. Nursing leadership collaborated with the division of cardiology to address discharge planning gaps identified on one of our cardiac wards with the goal of ensuring better follow up for our patients.

 The purpose of this presentation is to describe the iterative process of developing and implementing a standardized patient-centered approach to discharge planning.  Utilizing the quality improvement methodology of PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles, we evaluated program changes with multiple stakeholders. 

 At 6 months post-implementation, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 specialist offices throughout BC. Overall, the new process was well received but we gained valuable feedback with challenges such as systemic issues to securing timely appointments. At 1 year, a satisfaction survey was sent to all patients (n = 825) discharged from our cardiology ward. Of the 152 (18%) responses, 91% (n =123) reported discharge information received was clear.  79% (n = 120) of respondents confirmed that they were discharged with a clearly written plan of follow-up care, 86% (n = 126) saw their primary provider within 2 weeks and 72% (n = 105) saw a cardiologist/specialist within 8 weeks of discharge.   

 This initiative uncovered inconsistent and non-standardized processes in discharge planning. Our approach provided a clear communication plan for patients and their families and demonstrated improved cardiology follow up care post hospital admission. There is ongoing work to potentially expand this initiative at an organizational, regional, and provincial level.

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