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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jamie L. Robinson, MS, Class of 2003, Jefferson Medical College, 209 S. Sartain St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-574-0578, Jamie.Robinson@Jefferson.edu, Alexander D. Fuld, MS, Class of 2002, Jefferson Medical College, 209 S. Sartain St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, and James Plumb, MD, Department of Family Medicine, Jefferson Health System, 1015 Walnut - Suite 401, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Introduction: Jeff HOPE is a medical and nursing student-run volunteer organization of Thomas Jefferson University that runs five health care clinics for the homeless in Philadelphia. In order to meet the needs of clients at the clinics, a project was devised to help better understand a patient¹s perspective of care.
Methods: Using flow diagrams and time analysis, students mapped the steps involved in an episode of patient care from the patient’s perspective. Following the visit, the clients were engaged in a brief discussion regarding their experience. By analyzing the processes of care using flow diagrams, "hot spots" for improvement were identified.
Results: During the course of the client visit, several "hot spots" were identified. Areas that needed to be addressed included: explanations of services to patient at the outset, attention to patient privacy during the course of the visit, and the use of wait times.
Discussion: Using simple quality improvement methodologies, students were able to generate actionable ideas for improvement. Changes were made to clarify services and to minimize interruptions. Efforts are underway to utilize wait times for patient education and advocacy services.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Patient Perspective
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.