Choosing Wisely

The Choosing Wisely team are doing excellent work to help improve the patient experience across EMHS. An example is their collaboration on the RPH Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Blood Gas project, which aimed to reduce the number of unnecessary blood gas tests performed on some of our most unwell patients.

Based on contemporary evidence and recommendations from the Choosing Wisely team, the guidelines for blood gas testing were changed to clearly articulate ‘when to test’ and ‘when not to test’.

Staff education was provided to all clinical staff and was also included in the orientation process for junior medical officers. Information was shared with all ICU clinical staff about the updated blood gas testing guidelines and the impact of the inappropriate testing on our staff and patients.

The updated guidelines were placed near the blood gas machine to act as a physical prompt to change testing behaviour and remind staff about the appropriate testing protocols. As a result of the project the volume of blood gas tests performed in the RPH ICU has reduced by approximately 133 tests per month.

Great work RPH ICU and Choosing Wisely!