Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Nurse-led service slashes cancelled heart ops (UK)

Nurse-led service slashes cancelled heart ops"A nurse-led service for patients having cardiac surgery has helped slash the number of cancelled operations and length of hospital stay at a south London trust. The service - a joint project between St George's Hospital Trust and the South West London Cardiac and Stroke Network - was set up in December 2008 to improve the cardiac surgery patient pathway and help the trust meet the 18-week referral to treatment target. Lead by a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner, who co-ordinates the care of cardiac surgery patients, the service has seen the number of theatre cancellations decrease from 10.1 cases per month two years ago to just 2.3 cases per month at present. Length of hospital stay has also reduced - from 8.8 days to 7.6 days for elective patients, and 15.7 days to 13.3 days for emergencies" - Nursing Times

No comments: