Authors (including presenting author) :
Kwok Wai Man Rowena
Affiliation :
Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
Introduction :
In the day center setting, timely and efficient monitoring of blood counts post-chemotherapy is crucial for the safe management of haematology patients. The introduction of a blood count monitoring protocol allows for quicker, more informed discharge decisions, enabling patients to leave the inpatient ward sooner after chemotherapy. By continuing count and monitoring in the day center, not only is patient comfort improved but it also optimizes the use of healthcare resources and reduces the demand on inpatient services.
Objectives :
1. To reduce the length of inpatient stays by transitioning care to the day center
2. To streamline the process of blood count monitoring for haematology patients is post-chemotherapy in the day center
3. To ensure patient safety and satisfaction through improved monitoring and quicker discharge process
Methodology :
1. To establish protocol for blood count monitoring of hematology patients after chemotherapy at day center.
2. Nurses screen blood results and provide management for abnormal blood results according to protocol.
Result & Outcome :
1. After the implementation of the protocol, patients can be discharged earlier, typically 3-4 days sooner.
2. Streamline the process of handling abnormal blood results.
3. The time required to handling abnormal blood results at the Day Center is reduced to 15 mins per case. With an average of 50 cases per week, this reduces the total working time 12.5 hours per week.
4. Patients showed satisfaction with early discharge.
