The state of South Carolina (SC) was challenged by an inefficient Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) clinic management process and high STD prevalence rates among residents. Asymptomatic patients were not able to be simply tested for STD’s; they had to receive a full appointment with a nurse. Additionally, due to budget cuts, nurse staffing levels were decreased; this led to fewer appointment times for patients. Faced with these clinic challenges, and a statewide STD problem, staff at the
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) pursued quality improvement (QI) training to change their situation. Through training from PHF QI Expert Grace Duffy, DHEC staff learned how to use QI tools and techniques to analyze their current challenges and then identified opportunities for improvement.
As a result of the training, DHEC staff created Fast Track: a testing-only service delivery model for asymptomatic patients who did not need to be seen by a nurse. This model increased appointment slots and decreased the demand on nurse time, leading to increased clinic efficiency. Fast Track was pilot tested in three local health departments and the results were so overwhelmingly positive that senior DHEC leaders decided to implement this model statewide. Client satisfaction increased, employee moral increased, and new STD cases, including cases of HIV, were identified in patients that might not otherwise have received testing and treatment. These improvements in clinic efficiency will lead, over time, to early identification and treatment of STDs, and ideally decrease the STD prevalence rate in SC.
In SC, QI tools and techniques were used as the vehicle to improve current procedures, achieve efficient clinic management, and cultivate a quality improvement culture. View these videos to experience the South Carolina story and learn how QI has made a difference to SC residents and DHEC staff and improved the health of South Carolinians:
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