Resources Award
Down to the Bare Bones - Fracture Clinic
Government targets required Fracture Services to operate on 95% of fracture patients within 48 hours of decision to operate. At the Royal Victoria Hospital an average of 50% of the target was being achieved. This Project involved radically reviewing the patient pathway to establish what added value to the patients’ journey, to remove duplication of effort or obstacles that delayed patients’ treatment or lengthened their inpatient stay.
The aim was to ensure patients presenting with fractures were admitted at the time of presentation, had timely relevant diagnostic interventions, were scheduled quickly for surgery having been fully assessed and optimised by the multi-disciplinary team, rather than sent home to await a date for surgery, with a possibility of developing complications leading to poor outcomes.
Patient discharge was being planned from the time of admission and the use of Estimated Discharge Dates and better patient, relative and multi-disciplinary team involvement in the discharge process produced shorter lengths of stay.
More patients are being treated in line with the Government target. Inpatient length of stay has been reduced, theatre efficiency improved and multi-disciplinary team working enhanced.
