1. Increased Patient Satisfaction and a Reduction in Pre-Analytical Errors Following Implementation of an Electronic Specimen Collection Module in Outpatient Phlebotomy.
- Author
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Kantartjis, Michalis, Melanson, Stacy E. F., Petrides, Athena K., Landman, Adam B., Bates, David W., Rosner, Bernard A., Goonan, Ellen, Bixho, Ida, and Tanasijevic, Milenko J.
- Subjects
DIAGNOSTIC errors ,HOSPITALS ,COLLECTION & preservation of biological specimens ,FISHER exact test ,MEDICAL databases ,INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems ,PATHOLOGICAL laboratories ,PATIENT satisfaction ,PHLEBOTOMY ,PROBABILITY theory ,TIME ,SYSTEM integration ,PRE-tests & post-tests ,DATA analysis software ,ELECTRONIC health records ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,TERTIARY care ,MANN Whitney U Test ,PREVENTION - Abstract
Background: Patient satisfaction in outpatient phlebotomy settings typically depends on wait time and venipuncture experience, and many patients equate their experiences with their overall satisfaction with the hospital. Methods: We compared patient service times and preanalytical errors pre- and postimplementation of an integrated electronic health record (EHR)-laboratory information system (LIS) and electronic specimen collection module. We also measured patient wait time and assessed patient satisfaction using a 5-question survey. Results: The percentage of patients waiting less than 10 minutes increased from 86% preimplementation to 93% postimplementation of the EHR-LIS (P ≤.001). The median total service time decreased significantly, from 6 minutes (IQR, 4-8 minutes), to 5 minutes (IQR, 3-6 minutes) (P = .005). The preanalytical errors decreased significantly, from 3.20 to 1.93 errors per 1000 specimens (P≤.001). Overall patient satisfaction improved, with an increase in excellent responses for all 5 questions (P ≤.001). Conclusions: We found several benefits of implementing an electronic specimen collection module, including decreased wait and service times, improved patient satisfaction, and a reduction in preanalytical errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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