Description 

• This policy defines the UNC Interventional Radiology workflow for inpatient procedures that will be delayed and how to communicate to the primary teams.

Rationale 

• The goal is to perform inpatient procedures in a timely, efficient fashion.  Urgencies/emergencies and unexpected case delays makes predictable scheduling of inpatient cases difficult.  Cases will sometimes be delayed due to medical reasons or room closures at the end of the day.  The goal of this policy is to create a standardized method for communicating these scheduling changes to the primary team. 

Definitions 

• Medical Delay: A procedure is being delayed due to a change in patient status, need for additional pre-procedure work-up, and/or change in procedural plan.

• Schedule Delay: A procedure is being delayed due to insufficient room availability.

• Closed loop communication:  Contact requiring response/acknowledgment of receipt and understanding.

• Non-closed loop communication:  Contact not requiring acknowledgment (ie page without a call back needed)

Policy/Procedure 

• A. Medical Delay

  • It is the responsibility of the Interventional Radiology procedure/consult team to: 

    1. Contact the primary team with closed-loop communication explaining the delay and steps needed prior to performing the procedure

    2. Document change and plan in EPIC with a progress note

• B. Schedule Delay

  • 1. It is the responsibility of the Interventional Radiology charge nurse/board runner to: 

    2. Contact the primary team intern with non-closed loop communication that the procedure will not occur this day, the patient may eat, and we will attempt to perform the procedure the following day.

    3. Contact the patient’s nurse and notify them that the procedure will not occur this day so the patient may eat, and we will attempt to perform the procedure the following day.

    David Mauro MD