Author(s)

Danny T. Y. Wu^1,2*, Rohan Sachdeva^1,3, Paul Murdock^1,4, Scott Vennemeyer^1,4, Lisa Mattucci-Hunter^5,6, Marcus Lehman⁵

¹Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
²Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
³College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴Medical Sciences Baccalaureate Program, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁵Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁶CRNA Program, School of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

As hospitals undergo reductions in budget and the demand for endoscopic procedures grows, the need for more efficient endoscopy units has increased. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) play a vital role in Endoscopy Units and because of this, increasing CRNA work efficiency would increase the efficiency of the entire unit. This pilot study aims to explore CRNA workflow and identify workflow barriers present in endoscopy rooms through qualitative interview analysis. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively to generate workflow diagrams and four themes of workflow barriers and representative quotes. These themes include: 1) physician unavailability, 2) patient delay and variability, 3) suboptimal teamwork and coordination, and 4) issues with supporting tools. The workflow barriers reflect and extend the current literature, and can inform future quality improvement initiatives.

CRNA, Workflow, Efficiency, Endoscopy, Qualitative

Wu, D. , Sachdeva, R. , Murdock, P. , Vennemeyer, S. , Mattucci-Hunter, L. and Lehman, M. (2021) Perspectives of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists on Endoscopy Room Delays. Open Journal of Nursing, 11, 947-959. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2021.1111077.