Our RapidEval Unit is pleased to announce the acceptance of two new projects from the fall 2022 semi-annual Call for Proposals. Selected projects will receive mentorship and support to implement interventions aimed at improving healthcare delivery.

Proposals were chosen based on their potential for positive impact on healthcare delivery and health equity, alignment with health system priorities, encouragement of established best practices, and feasible implementation within 2-3 months.

Project: The Implementation of a Dedicated Surgical Site Infection Prevention Time-Out

This project was proposed by Dr. Bronwyn Southwell and team from M Health Fairview to increase adherence to a set of interventions aimed at decreasing the amount of surgical site infections (SSIs).

Surgical site infections are responsible for a large proportion of infections acquired at hospitals. The team that submitted this proposal developed a bundle of evidence-based strategies aimed at decreasing these infections, but found that adherence rates were below their target.

To improve adherence rates, this team proposed a dedicated surgical ‘time-out’.  Before making an incision, clinicians in the operating room will pause and go through the different parts of the bundle.

The providers will also document the pause in their patient’s electronic health record in order to track adherence to the initiative.

Project: Improving Access to HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Through a Targeted EHR Intervention

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective at stopping adolescents and adults from contracting HIV when combined with emtricitabine-tenofovir DF or emtricitabine-tenofovir alfenamide. However, there is a large gap between patients eligible for PrEP and patients who actually receive it.

One major barrier to providing PrEP is that the guidelines for prescribing it are confusing, which makes it difficult for providers to determine if a patient should be prescribed it. The purpose of this project is to make PrEP easier to provide so that disparities between who qualifies for PrEP and who actually receives it are reduced.

Dr. Zach Kaltenborn and team proposed using the electronic patient data software Epic to accomplish this. The project involves the creation of a smart set, or a set that automatically orders everything associated with a specific procedure or diagnosis, for prescribing PrEP. The team also proposed creating an alert that notifies healthcare providers when a patient’s electronic health record indicates they have a high risk of contracting HIV.

Finally, the team is also looking to create an After Visit Summary that includes information about PrEP and links to a social media campaign designed to raise awareness about PrEP.

The next RapidEval Call for Proposals will take place in the Spring of 2023. Read more about the RapidEval unit here.