Abstract 1695P
Background
Through great efforts, the outbreak of 2019 novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) has been slowing down in Wuhan. This study was to assess the potential errors of established admission procedures from a tertiary cancer center.
Methods
A multidisciplinary team of eight frontline nurses and oncologists would conduct a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to our established procedures. The FMEA consisted of 4 main steps, Including a detailed review of the on-going admission processes and the drawing of the corresponding flow chart, followed by repeated discussions of the possible errors among those processes, and then evaluation of the occurrence (O), detectability (D), and severity of impact (S) of each failure mode according to a scoring criteria (a five-point scale). Finally, the risk of errors were determined through a calculation of risk priority number (RPN=O*D*S).
Results
From March 24, 2020 to May 14, 2020, based on the established procedures, our center has screened 1,214 cancer patients in the oncology outpatient department and subsequent buffer wards. No nosocomial infection (among doctors or patients, or between patients and doctors) occurred. On the scale of RPN from high to low, ten high-risk steps were identified by FMEA, involving a failure of scheduled screening for particularly vulnerable populations, the failure of hand hygiene in outpatient and buffer wards, and the incorrect disposal of clinical waste by cleaning service staff. In addition, the psychological burden to cancer patients might increase the risk of buffer ward management failure.
Conclusions
Self-review and continuous improvement for established procedures can minimized underlying mistakes. Increasing the approaches to treatment appointments, reasonably optimizing the working during for outpatient physicians, strengthening the awareness of hand hygiene (both physicians and patients), and setting up oncological psychological counseling groups will likely improve the potential error steps.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.