MEASURES
The outcome or effect measure was days between PPC consult and death for
target list patients. Our goal was to increase from a baseline median of
13.5 days to > 30 days between March 6, 2019 to March 5,
2020. Earlier involvement of PPC in the care of target list patients
served as our process measure with a goal to decrease the days between
new target list diagnosis and PPC consult from a baseline median of
221.5 days to < 30 days during the same time frame. Data
were plotted over time using statistical process control charts to
assess effectiveness of interventions. Due to infrequent events, we
specifically utilized g-charts to track our measures. Common cause and
special cause variation were determined using previously established
improvementrules.31
This project was deemed exempt as quality improvement by our
institution’s Office of Research Integrity.