Journal for healthcare quality : official publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality
-
Carol Wagner, RN, MBA is the Vice President for Patient Safety at the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA). She is recognized nationally as an innovative patient safety leader. She led the development of WSHA's Patient Safety Program and Rural Healthcare Quality Network. ⋯ Brent James. Her experience includes work in for-profit and not-for-profit environments and supporting community, tertiary, and academic medical centers. This includes Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California and a national for-profit hospital system with more than 100 hospitals.
-
In response to concerns regarding delays in transferring critically ill patients to intensive care units (ICU), a quality improvement project, using the Six Sigma process, was undertaken to correct issues leading to transfer delay. ⋯ The Six Sigma approach is a problem-solving methodology that resulted in almost a 60% reduction in patient transfer time from a general medical floor to a critical care area. The Six Sigma process is a feasible method for implementing healthcare related quality of care projects, especially those that are complex.