Touch Time for Caregivers
Why this measure is important:
- By measuring the percent of time specific caregivers spend in patient and procedure rooms, we are able to closely monitor the amount of non-patient care duties that are performed. By studying this, we can work to eliminate unnecessary steps or paperwork that detract from the time that our caregivers could be spending providing direct care to our patients.
How We Measure:
- “Touch Time” is measured as the portion of time that specific direct caregivers spend in patient rooms and treatment rooms relative to the total time of their work shifts. A wireless connection to an electronic badge is used to track caregivers locations and time spent in these locations.
What we are doing to improve and recent results:
- As performance on this measure has remained relatively unchanged for some time, we are in the process of collecting more specific data to inform improvement efforts. Hand held devices to categorize and record the type of care being provided and now being used. This more specific data will enable us to analyze which tasks are being performed and then plan for how best to optimize our resources.
