Improving Patient Care Through a Standardized Laboratory-Clinician Communication Quality Improvement Project

Education in quality improvement is linked to high-quality health care, and involving residents as key leadership in quality improvement projects ensures a level of engagement to reinforce principles in practice. Obtaining timely laboratory data in inpatient settings is critical to decision making. This resident-led group identified that the established forms of communication regarding uncollected laboratory draws at this inpatient rehabilitation facility were not standardized. There was significant variance in communication between phlebotomists and clinicians. Based on a root cause analysis, the quality improvement team concluded that a single unified email notifying clinicians about uncollected labs would be an effective and efficient communication method. A standardized email template was created and sent to the resident physicians and advanced practice providers during a 2-week feasibility pilot. After a successful pilot intervention, the communication email was expanded to include attending physicians. The standardized weekday email was distributed 100% of the time during both 2-week interventions. The residents leading the project gained a better understanding of the dynamics of interdisciplinary collaboration required within hospital operations to facilitate the success of a quality improvement intervention.