Northwestern Memorial Hospital Emergency Department
Chicago, Illinois
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Emergency Department
At this busy 90-bed department that sees more than 100,000 patient visits a year, stretcherside clinical staff often participate in nurse-led improvement projects for the betterment of patient outcomes and clinical staff workflow. Throughout the 2024 fiscal year, the team focused on stroke metrics and improving the door-to-needle time. After collaborating with the multidisciplinary team, clinical nurses drove the current process to bring the patient directly to the CT scanner to begin imaging. The new process was extremely successful and allowed the team to advocate for additional staff in the waiting room. The fastest door-to-needle execution was 17 minutes. The patient was discharged two days later with zero deficits.