title: Trauma return appointment study: a performance improvement initiative.
abstract: Ensuring that trauma patients will follow up in a clinic after a hospital stay is always a difficult challenge. This was the case for a rural trauma center in north central Pennsylvania serving 31 counties with a patient maximal travel time of 3½ to 4 hours. Performance improvement outcomes found that ensuring follow-up appointments are made is a system challenge. As an outcome of this performance improvement project, educational updates improved appointment scheduling. Scheduling improvement resulted in improved patient compliance for maintaining appointments postdischarge.
authors.affiliation: Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pennsylvania 17822, USA. mahlavaty@geisinger.edu
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hlavaty
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wargo
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000451:nursing*