| Sumario: | Significance & Background: Over 80% of oncology care occurs in outpatient settings, where patients often face challenges related to frequent travel and prolonged appointments. Patient satisfaction is closely tied to wait times. Chemotherapy administration is largely dependent on lab results. The cancer center has made an effort to "uncouple" lab appointments from same-day treatment visits, however, this requires additional visits which some patients are unable or unwilling to accommodate, and may not allow sufficient time for count recovery. The onsite lab services 350-450 patients daily. ~80 patients have central lines and require RN-drawn labs. Due to space limitations, only one to two exam rooms can be allocated for central line draws daily. Additionally, exam rooms are a distance from the pneumatic tube system, delaying specimen transport and contributing to lab turnaround times exceeding 60 minutes. A former yoga room, unused since the Covid pandemic in 2020 presented an opportunity to improve workflow. Purpose: To strategically repurpose an unused space in order to better address patient needs and improve laboratory processing efficiency. Interventions: After obtaining permission from executive leadership, a pilot initiative was launched to repurpose the unused yoga studio into a clinical space to central line lab draws. The room was modified to support patient care by installing privacy partitions and equipping the space with essential clinical supplies. Operational equipment including computer workstations and printers were installed. Appropriate waste disposal systems including biohazard and sharps disposal containers were arranged to support safe clinical practice. Nursing and clerical staff were engaged to provide feedback and suggestions on workflow needs, space layout, supply organization, to support efficiency, safety, and patient-centered care. The converted yoga-studio opened as a space to draw labs from central in August 2024. Results: Laboratory processing time was reduced by 31.6%, decreasing from an average of 60 minutes pre-intervention to 41 minutes following intervention implementation. Discussion: Nurses play a vital role in developing innovative solutions to optimize workflow and meet patient needs. Following a successful pilot, the decision was made to obtain licensing to formally designate the yoga studio as a clinical space, with construction anticipated to begin in Spring 2026.
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