Dressing Room Reduces X-Ray Wait Times

A crowded radiology lab can be slow but the lack of adequate dressing rooms doesn't help. That's what faced the team in Lancaster, where patients used a restroom to disrobe before their X-rays. So they converted a coat closet into a dressing room and found space in their darkroom for a new closet. After the room switch, X-rays that had been taking 4 1/2 minutes were instead completed in about a minute, achieving a 78 percent reduction in wait times—an improvement of 28 points. A major takeaway for the team was realizing that small changes can make a big difference.

Here's What Worked

• Assessing the problem and working together to a solution
• Converting extra closet space into a dressing room for patients
• Realizing even small solutions pay large dividends

 What can your team do to use your physical space more efficiently?