INNOVATION | to heal patients and give them hope
programs at Scott & White, a robust
enterprise designed to enhance the
quality of research studies and the
effectiveness and efficiency of the
conduct of research. “About 25 percent
of residents continue their clinical
practice at Scott & White, and so it
is a priority that we engage residents
in robust research activities so that the
continuum of their research work and
careers as academic clinicians continues
here at Scott & White,” she says.
Some examples of
medical resident research
programs include:
Technology
and communication
Jennifer Dixon, MD, who completes
a surgery residency program this
spring at Scott & White, is engaged
in research that emerged from her role
as chairperson of the hospital’s House
Staff Quality Council, a resident-run
organization that focuses on patient
safety and quality improvement.
Dr. Dixon, along with colorectal
surgeon and department chair Harry
Papaconstantinou, MD, and other
physicians, conducted a pilot study on
surgical safety during a standard “timeout process” that occurs right before
patients’ procedures. It incorporated
real-world technology common in social
media marketing practices called QR
(quick response) codes. QR codes allow
users to access additional information
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THE CATALYST May 15 | sw.org
or images relevant to a product in the
online environment. In the operating
room setting, Dr. Dixon and other
investigators used this technology to
integrate data points relevant to patients,
such as their medical record number,
scheduled procedure, surgeon’s name,
drug allergies, and the like, to increase
process efficiency and patient safety. The
QR codes were reproduced on labels,
which were attached to patients’ bodies
(like a hospital bracelet would be) and
scanned during the time-out process.
Clinical care teams, including
surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses,
agreed that QR codes were easier to use
than the current time-out process—
which involved gathering patients’ data
points at different times and from
different sources—and were also more
accurate. Researchers concluded that
the QR code technology can improve
compliance, accuracy, and outcomes.
Dr. Dixon also participated in
a research study with Dr. WehbeJanek and other Scott & White
investigators to establish and test a
process using standardized procedures
to enhance patient care and safety
during an important window of
time—while transferring cardiac
surgery patients from the operating
room to the intensive care unit (ICU),
and the initial hours of postoperative
patient care in the ICU, which also
involves critical decision making
and vigilant observation. This study
included checklist items encompassing
relevant aspects of postoperative care,
including anesthesia, medications, care
instructions, bleeding issues, placement
of chest tubes, etc.
After a three-month education and
evaluation period, the study results
showed that physicians and nurses
believed the process was effective and
resulted in an improvement in the
patient handoff, or transition of care
process. It was evaluated by efficiencies
achieved during anesthesia and
surgeon reporting, such as a reduction
in ventilator hookup time, and other
important measur \ˈ8