The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Acute Cancer Care Center

Houston, Texas

Frontline nurses spearheaded the reduction of ED arrival to EKG time for patients presenting with chest pain at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Acute Cancer Care Center. This involved increasing the training of patient care technicians. The median door to EKG time in January 2022 was 68 minutes, and in July 2023, the median time had dropped to 10 minutes. This aligns the 41-bed ED with the standard set by the American Heart Association. Additionally, frontline staff brought up the need for advancing the skill set for IV insertion. An ultrasound was purchased, and frontline staff members were trained and checked off. Now staff train and check off one another. This practice has decreased the need for the institutional IV team, which also reduced the wait time for “difficult stick” patients to have labs drawn and medications administered.