Improving Mobilization Times of a Specialized Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team

• Published in: Air medical journal 2022-05, Vol.41 (3), p.315-319
• Main Authors: Rajapreyar, Prakadeshwari, Badertscher, Nora, Willie, Christin, Hermon, Sunita, Steward, Becky, Meyer, Michael T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1067-991X; 1532-6497
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amj.2022.01.001

The Ground and Air Medical Quality Transport database identifies the average mobilization time (AMT) of the transport team as a metric for benchmarking. Our specific aim was to decrease our AMT to < 25 minutes for our expanded role, ground, nonsimultaneous transports by the end of quarter 4 of 2018. Standardization of data collection with awareness building, ambulance vendor involvement, and team-focused interventions were the different phases of project implementation. Documentation of reasons for delay was performed pre- and postimplementation. Our AMT decreased from a baseline of 30.3 minutes to 24.5 minutes after project implementation. Communication delays (19.0%), reason for delay not documented (16.5%), no team available (14.0%), rotor wing vendor delays (12.4%), and ambulance vendor delays (7.4%) were the common reasons for delay on our preimplementation Pareto analysis. Communication and pharmacy delays were the most common reasons during all 3 phases of our project. Implementation of the project allowed us to achieve our goal of improving our AMT. Understanding the reasons for delay is a crucial consideration, and success depends on careful change management. Further iterations will need to focus on improving communication and the pharmacy medication dispatch process.