Implementation of Accountability Strategy to Improve Package Time
W Duggar*, L Weatherall, M Nittala, T Thomas, E Mundra, J Otts, W Woods, C Yang, S Vijayakumar, University of Mississippi Med. Center, Jackson, MS
Presentations
TU-D930-IePD-F6-5 (Tuesday, 7/12/2022) 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM [Eastern Time (GMT-4)]
Exhibit Hall | Forum 6
Purpose: A popular accountability theory/structure is defined in the book, The Oz Principle: “See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it.” As a radiation therapy team, we implemented this strategy in an effort to improve radiation therapy package time (RTPT) for our patients. RTPT is the time from radiation consultation to completion of the radiation therapy course and has been shown to have significant impact on treatment outcomes when extended unnecessarily. After the purchase of a new treatment planning system and automatic, integrated patient management system, a healthy culture of accountability was needed to achieve maximum impact from these upgrades. We “saw it” in the recognition of opportunity for improvement in RTPT, then “owned it” by recognizing we wanted to offer optimal, efficient cancer care. “Solving it” entailed the design and implementation of a new workflow integrating the capabilities of the new planning and management systems. Finally, “doing it” meant establishing a culture of healthy accountability and humility in which the new workflow could be fully adopted.
Methods: Radiation therapy-related event timelines of 112 HN patients who finished their therapy course within two years prior to July 2021 were analyzed and the average number of days was compared between patients treated prior to and after the strategic intervention in March 2021.
Results: Statistically and practically significant improvement in multiple timelines within the radiation therapy process was noted with overall reduction of radiation-related package time of 22.85 days (p = 0.002).
Conclusion: With implementation of accountability theory to our practice, significant improvement in RTPT was achieved.
Keywords
Group Theory, Quality Assurance, Optimization
Taxonomy
Leadership: Strategic Planning
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