Linda Cottreau, RN, Vice President and Nurse Executive
Arlene Riddell, RN, Wound Care Nurse
Diane Batten, RN, Risk Manager
Edmundo Romero, Supervisor, Environmental Services
Arnita Spade, Patient Transporter
Gloria Jackson, Patient Transporter
Danielle Slusar, Patient Transporter
Lucinda Abernathy, Patient Transporter
Scott Andrus, Patient Transporter
Justin Kowalske, Patient Transporter
Albertha Evans, Patient Transporter
Alex Moralez, Patient Transporter
Tenzin Dhepon, Patient Transporter
John Przybylla, Patient Transporter
Rodd Witte, Patient Transporter
Timothy Higgins, Patient Transporter

***Watch a video clip of Aurora Sinai Medical Center's improvement work shared at IHI’s 19th Annual National Forum.***

To preserve skin integrity and to improve patient identification by utilizing non-traditional caregivers as an innovative approach.

• October snapshot of patients in house with skin ulcers
• Incidents of patients transported without patient identification bands

• Transporters began transporting patients in their beds rather than using stretchers
• Skin shear opportunities were decreased because patients were not being transferred from beds multiple times for each test
• Transporters refused to transport patients not wearing identification bands

Patient transporters reduced pressure ulcers and completely eliminated delays and rescheduling of radiology exams due to missing patient identification bands by refusing to transport patients without patient identification bands.

• Skin ulcer rates dropped from 8.5 percent to 1.5 percent in one year
• Teamwork improved
• Patients were more comfortable not having to move onto stretchers
• Incidences of patients arriving for x-rays decreased to zero in four months
• Delays in care and rescheduling of exams were eliminated because patients were not transported without identification bands

Diane Batten, RN
Risk Manager
Aurora Sinai Medical Center
diane.batten@aurora.org

[Posterboard presentation at IHI's December 2007 National Forum]