Patient Transfer Times

- Mandatory for everyone to read and reply that you have read on the blog

Please remember that we have set times for transfers in and out of the PICU and to both 7C and PICU from the PED.

From any floor to PICU:  patient must be arrived within 30 minutes of the bed being ready (and we should always be ready unless we are full or a patient just left and the bed is not clean).

From PICU out to any floor:  One hour

From PED to PICU or 7C:  One hour

This may seem like an unimportant issue.  However, failure to comply with this process impedes bed flow and can increase our cost and decrease our productivity.  In the past week, WE HAD 15 TRANSFERS OUT OF PICU AND ONLY 5 OF THEM LEFT IN A TIMELY MANNER.  This is absolutely unacceptable and I will be tracking each transfer and any delays will have to be explained or disciplinary action will occur.  I had mistakenly assumed we were just putting in for beds in the morning before we knew the patients were leaving for sure, but that is not the case.  The CULs have been waiting to put in the beds until the orders are written.  Then, once we have a bed, the staff is still not getting the patients out within one hour.  We now have to be part of an IMPROVE process to ensure better compliance.

RNs, please do not put in a bed request until you have orders written by the resident and know for sure the patient is going.  With the diabetics, the transition orders are written at the same time as transfer orders, but do not put in the request until you know the patient has tolerated the transition and is truly ready to leave.

Please remember the clock does not start ticking until the bed is available and ready.  There are few reasons we should not be meeting this policy.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Thanks, Melinda