Aarhus University Hospital improves the treatment of heart patients without increasing the workload of the staff. By implementing full anesthesia during an uncomfortable procedure and a faster recovery process, the hospital has streamlined workflows and freed up resources.
In the heart clinic, head nurse Iben Troilsgaard and her colleagues have optimized the treatment process. Previously, patients were first sedated with medication and then underwent an endoscopy through the throat. Subsequently, they were anesthetized for the actual procedure, resulting in a longer recovery period and worsened condition for the patients.
Now, both the endoscopy and the heart procedure are performed under a single total anesthesia, allowing patients to wake up faster. This has enabled the staff to treat three patients per day in the laboratory, where they could previously only manage two.
“We are seeing an increasing number of patients, and we cannot succeed with the task as before. So we have to think differently and preferably treat more patients at the same time,” says Iben Troilsgaard.
The entire process has involved everyone from doctors to porters, resulting in the release of a nurse, so more and possibly sicker patients can be treated.
“Nearly the best thing about our new process is that the employees do not experience increased workload. Instead, they feel like part of a more smoothly functioning ‘machine.’ And that is a positive change,” she adds.
Health economist Kjeld Møller Pedersen from the University of Southern Denmark notes that similar initiatives are taking place in many locations around the country. “Fortunately, significant improvements are constantly happening in the healthcare system, which often does not receive enough attention amidst all the complaints. The sum of many small things collectively provides a significant and necessary improvement in everyday life,” he says.
Iben Troilsgaard and her team are now in the process of implementing a similar process in the pacemaker clinic, where they focus on prioritizing the right patients and reducing the time spent on those who may not necessarily need it. “Even though initially it may make some people a bit uneasy,” she concludes.