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Improving the diabetes journey at Knox Community Health Service - 2011 (#361)

Lynne Pharoah-Hamer 1 , Kim Johnson 2 , Sandra Oakley 3
  1. Diabetes Educator, Knox Community Health Service, Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia
  2. Service Coordinator, Knox Community Health Service, Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia
  3. Team Coordinator/CHN, Knox Community Health Service, Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia

Background: Knox Community Health Service (KCHS) has been a participant in the collaborative Improving the Diabetes Journey (ItDJ) project since its inception in 2007.

Aim: To provide consistent, appropriate information, referral, care and support for people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in the Eastern Metropolitan Region (EMR) of Melbourne.

Method: The 2010-11 ItDJ quality improvement project consisted of eight, monthly collaborative workshops. The ‘Plan, Do, Study, Act’ (PDSA) (Langley G.J, Nolan K.M, Nolan T.W, Norman C, ProvostL.P, 1996) cycle framework facilitated the implementation of the ItDJ project within individual organisations.

 ItDJ project participants at KCHS utilised existing internal structures and focused on several improvement areas including: communication, service delivery and workflow within the organisation, whilst working within the confines of the current electronic medical record system, ‘TrakCare’. The KCHS ItDJ participants and Diabetes Educators (DEs) developed (and in conjunction with the Intake team), trialled and implemented the tools.

Results: 

- ‘Diabetes Referral Pathway’ Tool –Facilitates easier navigation of a complex system, resulting in more appropriate referrals.

- ‘Canned Text’ Tool - Enables Intake staff to collect the necessary information, allowing DEs to triage more accurately and timely.

- Alert - ‘Diabetes Diagnosis’ - Alert icon is used as a diabetes identifier; enabling tracking, follow up, evaluation, and data collection.

-‘Request for Information’ proforma -fax to referrer or General Practitioner (GP), resulting in more appropriate and timely triaging.

Discussion:  ItDJ project initiatives undergo ongoing review and refinement. These tools have been effective, can be easily adapted for use by other health disciplines and assist in the orientation of new or unfamiliar staff.
Conclusion: These KCHS ItDJ project initiatives have assisted our health service to improve communication, workflow processes and services to clients, to improve their diabetes journey.

The journey continues...

  1. Langley, G.J et al (1996) The Improvement Guide. USA: Jossey Bass