Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the use of a posttransplant screening care guidelines template performed by advanced practice providers (APPs) that included standards of care and published recommendations from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) for adult allogeneic transplant patient survivors. Methods: The theoretical framework used for this project was the Model for Improvement with the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle process. A screening template was built to include institutional standards of care and recommendations from the ASTCT’s guidelines within the electronic medical record system for APP use. Weekly chart reviews were performed for data extraction and assessment for APP documentation and completion of day +30 and day +100 posttransplant recommended screenings/testing. Data were documented and tracked utilizing Excel securely over a 3-month period. Results: The APPs performed and documented the recommended screenings for 64% of patients at day +30 and for 80% of patients at day +100. Opportunities for unit and system improvements were identified to increase performance, expand utilization, allow clinicians to recognize complications earlier, and potentially improve patient outcomes. Conclusion: This project addresses implications for APP care delivery and patient outcomes. Future project cycles’ success will be ensured by utilizing the APP role at the maximum scope of practice.
