The Cystic Fibrosis Multidisciplinary Team noted confusion surrounding which clinic patients had been seen or not seen by each provider. The team also noted patients waiting long periods in the exam room between providers. The purpose of this project was to determine if including a pre-clinic huddle would decrease patient wait times and overall clinic visit time in the multiple disciplinary team cystic fibrosis clinic (MDT CF). The theoretical framework is derived from lean systems and quality improvement work with an emphasis on plan-do-study-act cycles. A pre- and post-intervention, quantitative, comparison design was chosen for this project. The intervention was a pre-clinic huddle including the doctor, nurse, dietitian, respiratory therapist (RT) and medical social worker (MSW) discussing patients scheduled for the day, and devising a plan for the most efficient way in which the patient would see all team members. Sample size included 21 patients in the pre-intervention group and 14 patients in the post-intervention group. The data were compared for total clinic visit time from arrival for appointment through discharge from clinic, in both the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups. Only the RT significantly reduced time spent with patients (21.5 v 9.3 minutes, p =0.01). The MSW spent longer with patients in the post-intervention group (12-90 minutes v 10-158minutes, p =0.03). The pre-clinic huddle provided a framework for outlining the needs of patients coming for clinic, which in turn allowed the team to discuss how this would affect clinic flow and plan accordingly for moving each patient through the clinic visit process in an efficient manner.
