THE VALUED VOICE

Vol. 64, Issue 34
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Thursday, August 20, 2020

   

Member Quality Spotlight: Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisc

Saving more brain cells by reducing time to alteplase (tPA) on eligible stroke patients
With current guidelines emphasizing delivery of intravenous treatment for stroke patients within 60 minutes of hospital arrival, Froedtert sought to reduce this arrival-to-treatment time to 30 minutes. A multidisciplinary team was established to analyze the process and steps needed from emergency department physician assessment, to activating the stroke team, to placing orders, obtaining CT scans and labs, to treatment. Froedtert used a tracking feedback tool for consistent timekeeping and to diagram a workable and efficient, streamlined process. As a result, Froedtert decreased the average door-to-needle time to less than 30 minutes, which may improve outcomes for stroke patients. 

This project is important for patient safety because early delivery of intravenous alteplase saves brain cells. Up to 1.9 million brain cells are lost for each minute the brain is not perfused. By saving more neurons, function and recovery may also be facilitated.

In this initiative, we shared the unified vision of keeping the patient as the focus, so silos of care were effectively eliminated, and true teamwork was experienced.

See the poster presentation here.
 

This story originally appeared in the August 20, 2020 edition of WHA Newsletter

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Thursday, August 20, 2020

Member Quality Spotlight: Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisc

Saving more brain cells by reducing time to alteplase (tPA) on eligible stroke patients
With current guidelines emphasizing delivery of intravenous treatment for stroke patients within 60 minutes of hospital arrival, Froedtert sought to reduce this arrival-to-treatment time to 30 minutes. A multidisciplinary team was established to analyze the process and steps needed from emergency department physician assessment, to activating the stroke team, to placing orders, obtaining CT scans and labs, to treatment. Froedtert used a tracking feedback tool for consistent timekeeping and to diagram a workable and efficient, streamlined process. As a result, Froedtert decreased the average door-to-needle time to less than 30 minutes, which may improve outcomes for stroke patients. 

This project is important for patient safety because early delivery of intravenous alteplase saves brain cells. Up to 1.9 million brain cells are lost for each minute the brain is not perfused. By saving more neurons, function and recovery may also be facilitated.

In this initiative, we shared the unified vision of keeping the patient as the focus, so silos of care were effectively eliminated, and true teamwork was experienced.

See the poster presentation here.
 

This story originally appeared in the August 20, 2020 edition of WHA Newsletter

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