Caring Wisely FY 2023 Project Contest

Pediatric cardiac surgery coordinator for weekends

Proposal Status: 
  • PROPOSAL TITLE: Pediatric cardiac surgery coordinator for weekends
  • PROJECT LEAD(S): Pediatric cardiac surgery NP's, coordinator for surgery
  • EXECUTIVE SPONSOR(S): UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Department of Cardiac-Thoracic Surgery
  • ABSTRACT - Providing a cardiac or surgical team member to help navigate the out-patient and family on the weekends, from the front door to the surgery pre-op and waiting areas. Provide answers and act as liason throughut the procedure.
  • TEAM - Carol M. Costello, RN Pedi OR; E. Echavarria,RN pediatric cardiac surgery coordinator
  • PROBLEM -It has often ben witnessed that the family and patient arriving in the early morning are directed to an empty surgical waiting area or held in the security department as the pre-op and intake areas are not staffed on the weekend. My suggestion is they meet a point person, available the night before, who meets them at the front door of the hospital the morning of surgery. This contact person will stay with family through till the moment their child goes into surgery and offfers support and instruction on where to wait and what to expect through the day. The cost of providing this person is dependent on wether it is a full time or part time, on call position.
  • TARGET -  The goal of this proposal is to eliminate confusion and instill increased confidence in admitting a pediatric cardiac patient for surgery.  In addition, the benefit to the patient experience will be altered to reflect a higher level of care model with uninterrrupted personal attention, which can often be over looked on the weekends.
  • GAPS - Ibelieve this scenario has developed due to the increasing cardiac surgical patient load as well as patients coming from many destinations state-wide and nationally.   
  • INTERVENTION - The need for this proposed intervention has come to the attention of pediatric surgery personel as we have often had to find families that have been deposited in the hospital waiting area- an area that is NOT staffed on the weekends. The pediatric cardiac surgery team is involved in getting the operating room prepared for high acuity and lengthy procedures; very often this can not be interrrupted to locate family and someone less qualified or over-wualified is asked to find the family and bring them to the surgical suite.
  • The provider will be a nurse who is well versed in the cardiac surgery service, able to provide answers and support to the family throughout the in-take process day of surgery.I do not foresee potential adverse affects with this implementation, only the increase in patient and family experience of a very high stress and acute procedure.
  • COST - The estimated value of this service can not be qualified as it is experience based.
  • SUSTAINABILITY - If successful, this service can enhance and increase the level of care provided by the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital cardiac-thoracic surgery division leading to national recognition as a leading in patient care, ecperience, and outcomes.
  • BUDGET - On call or part-time position. UCSF volte phone for inter-hospital use throughout UC systems.