Authors (including presenting author) :
Lai ML (1), Wong KK (1), Chiu CWH (1), Lam PH (1), Lo MY (1), (1), Lee SF (1), Lam CL (1), Lo HL (1), Lee CP (1), Law KW (1) Leung WK (1), Leung MKW (1), Hui E (1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Family Medicine, NTEC (2) Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, Shatin Hospital, NTEC
Introduction :
It was common to see crowded patients in GOPCs for blood taking service. The blood taking service was overwhelming by first come first served with no quota limit, which leading to unpredictable waiting time and overcrowding environment. The headcounts at peak hour were about 150 and the waiting time could be as long as 180 minutes. With the growing demand of the service, the clinic congestion had been worsened and resulted in increasing workplace violence and infection risks.
Objectives :
1.To enhance workflow and effectiveness of blood taking
2.To reduce waiting time for blood taking
3.To reduce congestion in the clinic
Methodology :
1.Brainstorming meeting by representatives from different clinics in NTEC GOPCs
was held.
2.The blood taking workflow was optimized by appointment booking.
3.OPAS unit was set up with quotas estimated according to previous caseload statistics.
4.Corporate Queuing Management System (CQMS) were set up and patients could see their queue number on display monitors.
5.The new workflow of blood taking service had been announced to public 4 months before implementation.
Result & Outcome :
6 General Outpatient Clinics in NTEC had started the appointment booking for blood taking since July 2021. After 12 months, evaluation was done and positive outcomes was demonstrated in various areas:
1.Patients for blood taking were allocated in different time slots and the number of each time slots were controlled. The maximum number for patients is controlled at 60 attendances/hour in bigger clinic and 12 attendances in small clinic. Clinic congestion was greatly improved upon the implementation of the project
2.The average waiting time was reduced from 19.28 min to 5.42 min with reduction of 72% (p value 0.001). While the maximum waiting time was reduced from 36.9 min to 14.92 min with reduction 59.6% (p value 0.0012).
In conclusion, the appointment booking for blood taking service could improve better experience for patients in reduction of waiting time and clinic congestion, and improved infection control. In addition, the manpower planning and blood taking materials’ control can be managed effectively according to predicted caseloads.
