Reduce Patient Treatment wait time in a Proton Beam Facility – A Gatekeeper Approach.

Patient wait time can negatively impact treatment quality in a proton therapy center, where multiple treatment rooms share one proton beam. Wait time increases patient discomfort that can lead to patient motion, dissatisfaction, and longer treatment delay. This study was to develop a patient call-ba...

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Published in:Journal of Medical Systems Vol. 45; no. 8; pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors: Huang, Yu-Li, Deisher, Amanda J., Herman, Michael G., Kruse, Jon J., Mahajan, Anita
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Springer Nature Aug2021
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2021
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      pub: Springer Nature
      place: New York, New York
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        10.1007/s10916-021-01756-1
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        atl: Reduce Patient Treatment wait time in a Proton Beam Facility – A Gatekeeper Approach.
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        au:
          Huang, Yu-Li
          Deisher, Amanda J.
          Herman, Michael G.
          Kruse, Jon J.
          Mahajan, Anita
        affil: Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, 55905, Rochester, MN, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Waiting Lists
          Quality Improvement
          Treatment Outcomes Adverse Effects
          Proton Therapy
          Human
          Simulations
          Software
          Comparative Studies
          Professional-Client Relations
      ab: Patient wait time can negatively impact treatment quality in a proton therapy center, where multiple treatment rooms share one proton beam. Wait time increases patient discomfort that can lead to patient motion, dissatisfaction, and longer treatment delay. This study was to develop a patient call-back model that reduced patient wait while efficiently utilizing the proton beam. A "Gatekeeper" logic allowing therapists to adjust the time of a patient's call-back to the treatment room was developed. It uses a two-pronged approach to minimize overlap of long treatment and the possibility of excessive wait in the queue to receive the proton beam. The goal was to reduce the maximum wait time to less than eight minutes per field for a four-room facility. The effectiveness of this logic was evaluated through simulation, and five scenarios were compared. Four scenarios implementing various levels of gatekeeper logic were compared with the original scenario without the logic. The best performing model provided a reduction of the maximum field wait by 26% and met the predefined goal. Adjusting call-back extended the treatment day length by an average of 6 min and a maximum of 12 min in total. The use of this gatekeeper logic significantly reduces patient field wait with minimal impact on treatment day length for a four-room proton facility. A sample interface that adopts this logic for therapists to make informed decision on patient call-back time is demonstrated.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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