Medical Day Care Infusion Therapy Clinic already making an impact at LGH
They’re off to the races. The team involved in the Medical Day Care (MDC) Infusion Therapy Clinic at Lions Gate Hospital are thrilled to see the six-month pilot program in full swing. And so apparently are many others in the hospital.
“I received so many positive messages after the memo went out last week that the clinic was opening,” says Barb Ferreira, Program Manager, Ambulatory Care & Clinical Support/Chemo Clinic and Out Patient Rehabilitation Services.
“Everybody is quite excited about it. And so are we of course. The clinic is a huge improvement in access to these services for patients. It will also improve the health and safety for both patients and staff who were being seen in the inappropriate location.”
The goal of the clinic is to divert short-term antibiotic patients who receive follow-up IV therapy in the emergency department at LGH. Last year, these visits totaled 1,980 inappropriate annual visits, representing 3% of total ED visits.
As well, 766 inappropriate annual visits to the Chemotherapy Clinic for Iron infusions and non–oncology blood transfusions took place, which is 5.3% of total chemo clinic visits.
Meet the team:
Dr. Joshua Douglas, Infections Disease physician
RNs Lisa Reddekopp and Lindsay Ford
Barb Ferreira, Program Manager
Andrew Tung, Lean Advisor
ED doc calls clinic “a significant improvement”
Dr. Stuart Horak, Medical Director and Head of LGH’s Emergency Department, calls the opening of the clinic “significant.”
“The new MDC Infusion Therapy Clinic is a significant improvement in our management of patients requiring outpatient intravenous antibiotics and other infusions by providing a dedicated location and staff outside of the busy emergency department,” says Stuart.
“The added benefit is that by diverting these patients away from the emergency department, we will be able manage the rest of our emergency patients more effectively and efficiently.”
As the team settles into its work flow, it will look to see if other populations could benefit from the MDC program.
The long-term goal for the MDC is to permanently relocate to the soon-to-be-built Outpatient Care Centre when it opens next year, contingent on continued funding.
The clinic, located on 2 East – Room 210, operates Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5:30 pm. The local for the new program is 4410.