Acuity-Based Scheduling: Outcomes in Ambulatory Oncology Centers

Abstract

With an increase in the number of patients with cancer receiving treatment in the ambulatory setting, a need exists to evaluate lean approaches to provide safe, effective, and timely care delivery. Acuity-based scheduling (ABS) was implemented across the regional ambulatory care centers of a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. ABS involved templates and a reconfiguration of clinical space and staff according to acuity levels. Results suggest improvement in wait times, capacity, infusion hours, chair use rate, patient visits, chair turns, average infusion length, and patient satisfaction. .

An Innovative Approach for the Development of an Early Phase Research Unit

“…The ANA stresses the importance of staffing guidelines specific to the workplace setting and crucial for maintaining patient safety while ensuring policy and protocol compliance. The literature details the importance of staffing guidelines in ambulatory oncology care settings (Edwards et al, 2017;Liang & Turkcan, 2016;Vortherms et al, 2015), however, the evidence remains sparse regarding staffing guidelines or recommendations for infusion nurses in a Phase I research unit.…”