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A year ago, the hand-off process on Tower 16AB called for nurses to spend nearly an hour listening to tape-recorded reports that often were hard to hear or lengthy. In search of a better way, Marc Boomhower, BSN, RN, taught himself Microsoft Excel and developed a template hand-off sheet of all the information nurses need to communicate to each other in order of importance, as well as a checklist. The spreadsheet process slowly developed into a consistent method and time saver on 16AB, and it is in the process of being implemented on other units.
This month, Boomhower was awarded funding from the BW/F Healthcare Information Technology Innovation Program (HIP) to continue to build on the handoff process. Anuj Dalal, MD, and Ali Bahadori, MD, both of the Department of Medicine, also received funding from HIP, which was launched by BWH last year as a way to seek new ideas from staff on how to improve care through technology. Thirty-six applicants applied for the first cycle of HIP funding.
“Receiving so many applications is a great start for our program and speaks volumes about our staff who are committed to bringing forward new and innovative ideas and making a difference in patient care,” said Sue Schade, chief information officer and sponsor of the program.
Dalal will develop an automated notification system that ensures physicians receive timely delivery of test results finalized after a patient’s discharge, and Bahadori will create a clinician portal that provides a single location for clinicians to receive information and serve as a launch point for various components of the electronic health record.
“The vision of my project is to create a system that integrates clinical information into a seamless Web environment that supports workflow, clinical synthesis and real-time clinical decision-making,” said Bahadori.
With his project, Dalal aims to strengthen communication during the transition of care from the inpatient to outpatient setting.
“I’m hopeful this tool will enhance communication, reduce redundant ordering of tests, improve care efficiency and cut costs,” Dalal said.
Each recipient has a year to complete their project and will receive about $100,000 from the program to develop their projects as part of a $750,000 BWH commitment to support the use of technology to improve patient safety, care quality and operational efficiency.
In April, watch for announcements for HIP cycle 2 and directions for submitting a proposal.