Key result
A quality improvement project involving specimen labeling and laboratory efficiencies reduced median troponin-T turnaround time in the emergency department by 19%, from 74 to less than 60 minutes.
Why the study?
Do interdisciplinary process improvements reduce troponin-T turnaround time in the emergency department?
Do interdisciplinary process improvements reduce troponin-T turnaround time in the emergency department?
Effect estimate: 19% reduction
Absolute Event Rate: 60% vs 74%
Interdisciplinary process improvements can successfully reduce troponin-T turnaround times in the emergency department to under 60 minutes, facilitating timely diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
Interdisciplinary QI may achieve troponin-T TAT under 60 min; leaves open effects on AMI diagnosis and outcomes.
BACKGROUND: An efficient testing process is a key to a timely diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department (ED). This includes a rapid evaluation cardiac biomarkers. METHODS: We conducted a quality and process improvement project to reduce troponin-T turnaround time (TAT) in the central laboratory at our facility. An interdisciplinary team, including front-line staff members, reviewed each step of troponin-T processing in both the ED and the central laboratory. A series of improvements were implemented during 2013, including changes to specimen labeling, elimination of duplicate test ordering, and efficiencies within the laboratory. Data from January 2013 to December 2014 on 31,496 patients with troponin tests were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Over the 2-year period of the projects, median troponin-T TAT decreased from 74 minutes to consistently less than 60 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: With an interdisciplinary team of health care professionals, we successfully reduced troponin-T TAT for possible acute coronary syndrome patients in our ED by 19%, consistently achieving laboratory results in less than 60 minutes.
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Ison et al. (2016) studied Possible acute coronary syndrome (n=31,496). Process improvements (specimen labeling, eliminating duplicate orders, laboratory efficiencies) vs. Pre-intervention baseline was evaluated on Median troponin-T turnaround time (TAT) (19% reduction). A quality improvement project involving specimen labeling and laboratory efficiencies reduced median troponin-T turnaround time in the emergency department by 19%, from 74 to less than 60 minutes.