Preparing for Tissue and Implant Tracking System Implementation in Interventional Radiology

This quality improvement project addressed workflow inefficiencies and regulatory risks in the tissue and implant tracking process within the Interventional Radiology (IR) department at a hospital system in the Intermountain West. The existing system lacked interoperability with the electronic health record (EHR), contributing to manual workarounds and increased documentation burden. The project's primary aim was to conduct preparatory activities to support the future implementation of a more efficient and interoperable tracking system. Actions taken included: (1) development and attempted distribution of a staff survey to assess perceptions of the current tracking system and identify workflow barriers, and (2) creation of a current-state workflow diagram based on a semi-structured interview with an IR technologist. While no survey responses were received due to organizational limitations, this highlighted important barriers such as survey fatigue and lack of executive approval. The workflow diagram identified multiple inefficiencies, particularly related to redundant barcode scanning and manual data entry. These findings were synthesized and shared with the implementation team to inform planning, staff education, and stakeholder engagement strategies. The project demonstrated the value of informatics leadership in identifying organizational readiness, facilitating stakeholder communication, and developing visual tools to support implementation planning.

Preparatory Quality Improvement Project on Tissue and Implant Tracking System Implementation Jacob Uda, BSN, RN Master of Science in Nursing Informatics Student University of Utah College of Nursing Key Findings: This project identified workflow inefficiencies and institutional barriers related to tissue and implant tracking in the Inte rventional Radiology (IR) department. Preparatory efforts, including staff survey development and workflow analysis, provided insight to support future system imple mentation. Background • Accurate tracking of tissues and implants is essential to patient safety and regulatory compliance. • The IR department’s existing tracking process lacked integration with the Electronic Health Record (EHR), leading to workflow inefficiencies and compliance risks. • This project focused on preparatory activities to support future system implementation. Results • No survey responses received due to institutional survey distribution policies and staff survey fatigue. • Workflow mapping identified key process gaps: • Reliance on manual documentation • Limited integration with the EHR Methods • Developed a seven-question staff survey to assess tracking process barriers. • Survey distribution limited to IR staff due to leadership approval policies. • Conducted a semi-structured interview with an IR technologist to document workflow. • Created and validated a current-state workflow diagram. • Increased risk of documentation errors and compliance issues Conclusions • Identified organizational barriers and workflow inefficiencies related to tissue and implant tracking. • Preparatory activities resulted in a validated workflow diagram and key insights for future system implementation. Appendix B. Current-state workflow for tissue and implant tracking in IR (Adapted from Appendix B) Figure 1. Staff survey participation in the Interventional Radiology department. Twenty IR technologists were invited to participate; zero responses were received. • Additional project phases were planned but could not be completed due to time constraints and extended implementation timeline. COLLEGE OF NURSING