title: Optimizing outpatient phlebotomy staffing: tools to assess staffing needs and monitor effectiveness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Short patient wait times are critical for patient satisfaction with outpatient phlebotomy services. Although increasing phlebotomy staffing is a direct way to improve wait times, it may not be feasible or appropriate in many settings, particularly in the context of current economic pressures in health care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To effect sustainable reductions in patient wait times, we created a simple, data-driven tool to systematically optimize staffing across our 14 phlebotomy sites with varying patient populations, scope of service, capacity, and process workflows.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used staffing levels and patient venipuncture volumes to derive the estimated capacity, a parameter that helps predict the number of patients a location can accommodate per unit of time. We then used this parameter to determine whether a particular phlebotomy site was overstaffed, adequately staffed, or understaffed. Patient wait-time and satisfaction data were collected to assess the efficacy and accuracy of the staffing tool after implementing the staffing changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this article, we present the applications of our approach in 1 overstaffed and 2 understaffed phlebotomy sites. After staffing changes at previously understaffed sites, the percentage of patients waiting less than 10 minutes ranged from 88% to 100%. At our previously overstaffed site, we maintained our goal of 90% of patients waiting less than 10 minutes despite staffing reductions. All staffing changes were made using existing resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Used in conjunction with patient wait-time and satisfaction data, our outpatient phlebotomy staffing tool is an accurate and flexible way to assess capacity and to improve patient wait times.
authors: From the Department of Pathology, Clinical Laboratories Division (Drs Tanasijevic and Melanson, Mr Mijailovic and Baum and Ms Goonan and Le), and the Department of Medicine (Mr Mijailovic and Ms Le), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts).
authors: Aleksandar S
authors: AS
authors: Mijailovic
authors: Milenko J
authors: MJ
authors: Tanasijevic
authors: Ellen M
authors: EM
authors: Goonan
authors: Rachel D
authors: RD
authors: Le
authors: Jonathan M
authors: JM
authors: Baum
authors: Stacy E F
authors: SE
authors: Melanson
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001900:Boston; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018962:Phlebotomy; D013997:Time Factors; D057188:Workflow; D000078329:Workforce