Unsafe by design: Infusion task reallocation and safety perceptions in U.S. hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that changes in nurse roles can compromise perceived organizational safety. However, over the past 15 years, many infusion tasks have been reallocated from specialty nurse infusion teams to individual generalist nurses-a process we call infusion task reallocation . These changes purportedly benefit employees by allowing care providers to practice at the "top of their license." However, job demands-resources theory suggests that changing core task arrangements can either enrich or merely enlarge jobs depending on their effects on demands and resources, with corresponding consequences for performance (e.g., safety). There is relatively little research directly exploring these effects and their mechanisms. PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship between infusion task reallocation and perceptions of organizational safety. We also explore the extent to which this relationship may be mediated by infusion-related resources and psychological safety. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected through a survey of 623 nurses from 580 U.S. hospitals. The relationship between infusion task reallocation and perceptions of organizational safety, as well as the potential mediating roles of infusion-related resources and psychological safety, was examined using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Infusion task reallocation was negatively associated with respondents' perceptions of organizational safety, with nurses working in organizations without an infusion team indicating lower perceptions of organizational safety than nurses working in organizations with an infusion team. This relationship was mediated by nurse perceptions of psychological safety within the organization, but not by infusion-related resources, suggesting that task reallocation is associated with lower perceived organizational safety because nurses feel less psychologically safe rather than because of perceived technical constraints. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results indicate that, although infusion task reallocation may be a cost-reducing approach to managing clinical responsibilities, it enlarges rather than enriches the job through higher demands and fewer resources for nurses and, in turn, lower perceived organizational safety.

Infusing, sustaining, and replenishing compassion in health care organizations through compassion practices.

BACKGROUND: Human suffering is prevalent and costly in health care organizations. Recent research links the use of compassion practices with improved patient experience and employee well-being, but little is known about how these practices create and sustain compassion to address workplace suffering and enhance care quality. PURPOSE: This study examines the dynamics of compassion practices, specifically how compassion practices create and sustain compassion in caregiving work. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a qualitative field study at two acute care hospitals utilizing three forms of data collection: semistructured interviews, nonparticipant observation, and archival data. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic coding. RESULTS: Both organizations attempted to foster workplace compassion through their hiring, socialization, employee support, and rewards practices. CONCLUSION: Organizations enable compassion through common organizational practices that perform three functions: (a) infusing the organization with new members and resources to enact compassion, (b) sustaining compassion by reinforcing its appropriateness in the workplace, and (c) replenishing compassion resources by improving and restoring employee well-being and ability to provide high-quality compassionate care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study provides managers with a detailed guide for how health care organizations use compassion practices as a managerial tool to address two key challenges: (a) high rates of employee ill-being due to the demanding nature of the work and (b) providing high-quality compassionate care.

Adverse Events and Burnout: The Moderating Effects of Workgroup Identification and Safety Climate.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has found that adverse events have significant negative consequences for the patients (first victim) and caregivers (second victim) involved such as burnout. However, research has yet to examine the consequences of adverse events on members of caregiving units. We also lack research on the effects of the personal and job resources that shape the context of how adverse events are experienced. OBJECTIVES: We test the relationship between job demands (the number of adverse events on a hospital nursing unit) and nurses' experience of burnout. We further explore the ways in which personal (workgroup identification) and job (safety climate) resources amplify or dampen this relationship. Specifically, we examine whether, and the conditions under which, adverse events affect nurse burnout. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of survey data on nurse burnout linked to hospital incident reporting system data on adverse event rates for the year before survey administration and survey data on workgroup identification and safety climate. SUBJECTS: Six hundred three registered nurses from 30 nursing units in a large, urban hospital in the Midwest completed questionnaires. RESULTS: Multilevel regression analysis indicated that adverse events were positively associated with nurse burnout. The effects of adverse events on nurse burnout were amplified when nurses exhibited high levels of workgroup identification and attenuated when safety climate perceptions were higher. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse events have broader negative consequences than previously thought, widely affecting nurse burnout on caregiving units, especially when nurses strongly identify with their workgroup. These effects are mitigated when leaders cultivate safety climate.

Quality of physician care coordination during inter-facility transfer for cardiac arrest patients.

AIM: We sought to evaluate whether the quality of coordination between physicians transferring comatose cardiac arrest survivors to a high-volume cardiac arrest center for targeted temperature management (TTM) was associated with timeliness of care. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of inter-facility transfers to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for TTM between October 2016 and October 2018. We examined the relationship between Relational Coordination (RC) - a measure of communication and relationship quality - during phone conversations between transferring physicians and time-to-acceptance. RESULTS: We identified 18 patients meeting criteria. TTM was initiated or continued in 72%, and in-hospital mortality was 75%. Median time-to-acceptance was 2.77 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0, 4.1) minutes, and duration of calls was 3.95 (IQR 2.7, 5.2) minutes. Interrater reliability for overall RC was high (rho = 0.87). The correlation between RC and the time-to-acceptance was significant in univariate analyses (adjusted relative risk = 0.96, 95%CI 0.93, 1.0, p = 0.05). Secondary analyses did not find a significant relationship between RC and timeliness measures. CONCLUSION: In this sample of patients transferred for TTM, we found that RC as a measure of care coordination, was reliable. Higher quality care coordination for cardiac arrest survivors was associated with faster physician acceptance. Future work using a larger cohort should explore if higher RC among a broader set of stakeholders (physicians, EMS, families, etc.) is associated with timeliness measures after adjusting for other factors, to better understand how the quality of care coordination impacts timeliness of care and patient outcomes.

Breaking down walls: a qualitative evaluation of perceived emergency department delays for patients transferred with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Despite regionalization efforts, delays at transferring hospitals for patients transferred with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) persist. These delays primarily occur in the emergency department (ED), and are associated with increased mortality. We sought to use qualitative methods to understand staff and clinician perceptions underlying these delays. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews at 3 EDs that routinely transfer STEMI patients to identify staff perceptions of delays and potential interventions. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using an iterative inductive-deductive approach to build and refine a list of themes and subthemes, and identify supporting quotes. RESULTS: We interviewed 43 ED staff (staff, nurses, and physicians) and identified 3 major themes influencing inter-facility transfers of STEMI patients: 1) Processes, 2) Communication; and 3) Resources. Standardized processes (i.e., protocols) reduce uncertainty and can mobilize resources. Use of performance benchmarks can motivate staff but are frequently focused on internal, not inter-organizational performance. Direct use ofcommunication between ORGANIZATIONS can process uncertainty and expedite care. Record sharing and regular post-transfer communication could provide opportunities to discuss and learn from delays and increase professional satisfaction. Finally, characteristics of resources that enhanced their capacity, clarity, experience, and reliability were identified as contributing to timely transfers. CONCLUSIONS: Processes, communication, and resources were identified as modifying inter-facility transfer timeliness. Potential quality improvement strategies include ongoing updates of protocols within and between organizations to account for changes, enhanced post-transfer feedback between organizations, shared medical records, and designated roles for coordination.

Are hospital ratings systems transparent? An examination of Consumer Reports and the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

The health care industry is complex, dynamic, and large. In such uncertain environments where a great deal of revenue is at stake, competition and comparative claims flourish. One such manifestation is hospital ratings systems. This research examines two influential hospital ratings to explore whether the hospital ratings of each system was straightforward and reproducible. Regressions and structural equations models were fit to examine the relationships among the hospital ratings constructs. Both hospital ratings systems were excellent in their transparency and reproducibility. The Consumer Reports and Leapfrog ratings systems can confidently tout that their hospital scores reflect what they claim to measure. The unique aspects of each system are also noted.

Safety climate, safety climate strength, and length of stay in the NICU.

BACKGROUND: Safety climate is an important marker of patient safety attitudes within health care units, but the significance of intra-unit variation of safety climate perceptions (safety climate strength) is poorly understood. This study sought to examine the standard safety climate measure (percent positive response (PPR)) and safety climate strength in relation to length of stay (LOS) of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants within California neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). METHODS: Observational study of safety climate from 2073 health care providers in 44 NICUs. Consistent perceptions among a NICU's respondents, i.e., safety climate strength, was determined via intra-unit standard deviation of safety climate scores. The relation between safety climate PPR, safety climate strength, and LOS among VLBW (< 1500 g) infants was evaluated using log-linear regression. Secondary outcomes were infections, chronic lung disease, and mortality. RESULTS: NICUs had safety climate PPRs of 66 ± 12%, intra-unit standard deviations 11 (strongest) to 23 (weakest), and median LOS 60 days. NICUs with stronger climates had LOS 4 days shorter than those with weaker climates. In interaction modeling, NICUs with weak climates and low PPR had the longest LOS, NICUs with strong climates and low PPR had the shortest LOS, and NICUs with high PPR (both strong and weak) had intermediate LOS. Stronger climates were associated with lower odds of infections, but not with other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Safety climate strength is independently associated with LOS and moderates the association between PPR and LOS among VLBW infants. Strength and PPR together provided better prediction than PPR alone, capturing variance in outcomes missed by PPR. Evaluations of NICU safety climate consider both positivity (PPR) and consistency of responses (strength) across individuals.

Tales from the Trips: A Qualitative Study of Timely Recognition, Treatment, and Transfer of Emergency Department Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute Ischemic stroke (AIS) is a time-sensitive emergency and patients frequently present to, and are transferred from emergency departments (EDs). We sought to evaluate potential factors, particularly organizational, that may influence the timeliness of interfacility transfer for ED patients with AIS. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews at 3 EDs that routinely transfer AIS patients. A structured interview guide was developed and piloted prior to use. Staff were asked about perceived facilitators and barriers to timely and high quality emergency care for patients with AIS who require transfer. Each interview was audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using an iterative inductive-deductive approach to build a list of themes and subthemes, and identify supporting quotes. RESULTS: We interviewed 45 ED staff (administrative staff, nurses, and physicians) involved in acute stroke care. We identified 4 major themes influencing the execution of interfacility transfers of AIS patients: (1) processes, (2) historical experiences; (3) communication; and (4) resources. Pre-existing protocols that standardized processes (eg, autoacceptance protocols) and reduced unnecessary communication, combined with direct communication with the neurology team at the comprehensive stroke center, and the flexibility and availability of human and physical resources (eg, staff and equipment) were commonly cited as facilitators. Lack of communication of clinical and operational outcomes back to transferring ED staff was viewed as a lost opportunity for process improvement, interorganization relationship building, and professional satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: ED staff view the interfacility transfer of AIS patients as highly complex with multiple opportunities for delay. Coordination through the use of protocols and communication pre- and post-transfer represented opportunities to facilitate transfers. Staff and clinicians at transferring facilities identified multiple opportunities to enhance existing processes and ongoing communication quality among facilities involved in the acute management of patients with AIS.

The Effects of Social Influence on Nurses' Hand Hygiene Behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to describe the associations of nurses' hand hygiene (HH) attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control with observed and self-reported HH behavior. BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene is an essential strategy to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Despite tremendous efforts, nurses' HH adherence rates remain suboptimal. METHODS: This quantitative descriptive study of ICU nurses in the southeastern United States was guided by the theory of planned behavior. The self-administered Patient Safety Opinion Survey and iScrub application, which facilitates observation, comprised the data set. RESULTS: Nurses' observed HH median was 55%; tendency to self-report was a much higher 90%. Subjective norm and perceived control scores were associated with observed and self-reported HH (P < .05) but not attitude scores or reports of intention. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' subjective norm and perceived control are associated with observed and self-reported HH performance. Healthcare workers overestimate their HH performance. Findings suggest future research to explore manipulators of these variables to change nurses' HH behavior.

The nature and necessity of operational flexibility in the emergency department.

Hospital-based emergency departments (EDs), given their high cost and major role in allocating care resources, are at the center of the debate about how to maximize value in delivering health care in the United States. To operate effectively and create value, EDs must be flexible, having the ability to rapidly adapt to the highly variable needs of patients. The concept of flexibility has not been well described in the ED literature. We introduce the concept, outline its potential benefits, and provide some illustrative examples to facilitate incorporating flexibility into ED management. We draw on operations research and organizational theory to identify and describe 5 forms of flexibility: physical, human resource, volume, behavioral, and conceptual. Each form of flexibility may be useful individually or in combination with other forms in improving ED performance and enhancing value. We also offer suggestions for measuring operational flexibility in the ED. A better understanding of operational flexibility and its application to the ED may help us move away from reactive approaches of managing variable demand to a more systematic approach. We also address the tension between cost and flexibility and outline how "partial flexibility" may help resolve some challenges. Applying concepts of flexibility from other disciplines may help clinicians and administrators think differently about their workflow and provide new insights into managing issues of cost, flow, and quality in the ED.

Timeliness of interfacility transfer for ED patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: Most US hospitals lack primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) capabilities to treat patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) necessitating transfer to PCI-capable centers. Transferred patients rarely meet the 120-minute benchmark for timely reperfusion, and referring emergency departments (EDs) are a major source of preventable delays. We sought to use more granular data at transferring EDs to describe the variability in length of stay at referring EDs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a secondary data set used for quality improvement for patients with STEMI transferred to a single PCI center between 2008 and 2012. We conducted a descriptive analysis of the total time spent at each referring ED (door-in-door-out [DIDO] interval), periods that comprised DIDO (door to electrocardiogram [EKG], EKG-to-PCI activation, and PCI activation to exit), and the relationship of each period with overall time to reperfusion (medical contact-to-balloon [MCTB] interval). RESULTS: We identified 41 EDs that transferred 620 patients between 2008 and 2012. Median MCTB was 135 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 114,172). Median overall ED DIDO was 74 minutes (IQR 56,103) and was composed of door to EKG, 5 minutes (IQR 2,11); EKG-to-PCI activation, 18 minutes (IQR 7,37); and PCI activation to exit, 44 minutes (IQR 34,56). Door-in door-out accounted for the largest proportion (60%) of overall MCTB and had the largest variability (coefficient of variability, 1.37) of these intervals. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of transferring EDs, we found high variability and substantial delays after EKG performance for patients with STEMI. Factors influencing ED decision making and transportation coordination after PCI activation are a potential target for intervention to improve the timeliness of reperfusion in patients with STEMI.

Safety organizing, emotional exhaustion, and turnover in hospital nursing units.

CONTEXT: Prior research has found that safety organizing behaviors of registered nurses (RNs) positively impact patient safety. However, little research exists on how engaging in safety organizing affects caregivers. OBJECTIVES: While we know that organizational processes can have divergent effects on organizational and employee outcomes, little research exists on the effects of pursuing highly reliable performance through safety organizing on caregivers. Specifically, we examined whether, and the conditions under which, safety organizing affects RN emotional exhaustion and nursing unit turnover rates. SUBJECTS: Subjects included 1352 RNs in 50 intensive care, internal medicine, labor, and surgery nursing units in 3 Midwestern acute-care hospitals who completed questionnaires between August and December 2011 and 50 Nurse Managers from the units who completed questionnaires in December 2012. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of RN emotional exhaustion linked to survey data on safety organizing and hospital incident reporting system data on adverse event rates for the year before survey administration. Cross-sectional analysis of unit-level RN turnover rates for the year following the administration of the survey linked to survey data on safety organizing. RESULTS: Multilevel regression analysis indicated that safety organizing was negatively associated with RN emotional exhaustion on units with higher rates of adverse events and positively associated with RN emotional exhaustion with lower rates of adverse events. Tobit regression analyses indicated that safety organizing was associated with lower unit level of turnover rates over time. CONCLUSIONS: Safety organizing is beneficial to caregivers in multiple ways, especially on nursing units with high levels of adverse events and over time.

What matters to you? An observational field study of patient and care provider expectations for health care relationships.

Therapeutic connections (TC) between patients and providers are foundational to patient-centered care, which is co-produced between patients and care providers. This necessitates that we understand what patients expect from TCs, the extent to which providers know what patients expect, and what providers expect. The purpose of this study was to examine nine TC dimensions and determine which are most important to patients, which dimensions providers believe are most important to patients, and which are most important to providers. An online survey of patients (n = 388) and care providers (n = 433) was conducted in the USA in March 2021. Respondents rated the extent to which the nine TC dimensions were important to them, followed by open-ended questions to expand upon what matters. The quantitative responses were rank-ordered and rankings were compared across groups. All groups ranked "having the patient's best interest in mind no matter what" as the top expectation. Patients also ranked "caring commitment" and being "on the same page" as highly important. Providers were relatively accurate in ranking what they believed was most important to patients. Respondents affirmed the TC dimensions in the qualitative results, adding nuance and context, such as patients feeling "heard" and noting providers that go "above and beyond." Providers ranked dimensions differently for themselves, prioritizing "full presence" and "emotional support" of patients. This study is among the first to examine expectations for TC. TC could play an explanatory role in understanding variation in patient experience ratings and other outcomes.

Multimodal job interview simulator for training of autistic individuals.

Autistic individuals face difficulties in finding and maintaining employment, and studies have shown that the job interview is often a significant barrier to obtaining employment. Prior computer-based job interview training interventions for autistic individuals have been associated with better interview outcomes. These previous interventions, however, do not leverage the use of multimodal data that could give insight into the emotional underpinnings of autistic individuals' challenges in job interviews. In this article, the authors present the design of a novel multimodal job interview training platform called CIRVR that simulates job interviews through spoken interaction and collects eye gaze, facial expressions, and physiological responses of the participants to understand their stress response and their affective state. Results from a feasibility study with 23 autistic participants who interacted with CIRVR are presented. In addition, qualitative feedback was gathered from stakeholders on visualizations of data on CIRVR's visualization tool called the Dashboard. The data gathered indicate the potential of CIRVR along with the Dashboard to be used in the creation of individualized job interview training of autistic individuals.

Influence of time-to-diagnosis on time-to-percutaneous coronary intervention for emergency department ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients: Time-to-electrocardiogram matters.

Objectives: Earlier electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with earlier percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and better patient outcomes. However, the exact relationship between timely ECG and timely PCI is unclear. Methods: We quantified the influence of door-to-ECG (D2E) time on ECG-to-PCI balloon (E2B) intervention in this three-year retrospective cohort study, including patients from 10 geographically diverse emergency departments (EDs) co-located with a PCI center. The study included 576 STEMI patients excluding those with a screening ECG before ED arrival or non-diagnostic initial ED ECG. We used a linear mixed-effects model to evaluate D2E's influence on E2B with piecewise linear terms for D2E times associated with time intervals designated as ED intake (0-10 min), triage (11-30 min), and main ED (>30 min). We adjusted for demographic and visit characteristics, past medical history, and included ED location as a random effect. Results: The median E2B interval was longer (76 vs 68 min, p < 0.001) in patients with D2E >10 min than in those with timely D2E. The proportion of patients identified at the intake, triage, and main ED intervals was 65.8%, 24.9%, and 9.7%, respectively. The D2E and E2B association was statistically significant in the triage phase, where a 1-minute change in D2E was associated with a 1.24-minute change in E2B (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-2.05, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Reducing D2E is associated with a shorter E2B. Targeting D2E reduction in patients currently diagnosed during triage (11-30 min) may be the greatest opportunity to improve D2B and could enable 24.9% more ED STEMI patients to achieve timely D2E.

Reducing hospital errors: interventions that build safety culture.

Hospital errors are a seemingly intractable problem and continuing threat to public health. Errors resist intervention because too often the interventions deployed fail to address the fundamental source of errors: weak organizational safety culture. This review applies and extends a theoretical model of safety culture that suggests it is a function of interrelated processes of enabling, enacting, and elaborating that can reduce hospital errors over time. In this model, enabling activities help shape perceptions of safety climate, which promotes enactment of safety culture. We then classify a broad array of interventions as enabling, enacting, or elaborating a culture of safety. Our analysis, which is intended to guide future attempts to both study and more effectively create and sustain a safety culture, emphasizes that isolated interventions are unlikely to reduce the underlying causes of hospital errors. Instead, reducing errors requires systemic interventions that address the interrelated processes of safety culture in a balanced manner.

Sustainable employment depends on quality relationships between supervisors and their employees on the autism spectrum.

PURPOSE: Employment outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum may be contingent upon employers' knowledge of autism and provision of appropriate workplace supports. We aimed to understand the organizational factors that influenced the organizational socialization of autistic employees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We wrote nine case histories based on interviews from managers, autistic employees, and job coaches. Intra-case analysis, then cross-case analysis, provided an understanding of organizational factors that lead to sustained employment of autistic employees. RESULTS: The quality of the relationship between managers and autistic employees was consistently seen as the key facilitator of organizational socialization and positive employment outcomes of autistic employees. These relationships, however, relied on the skilled facilitation of the job coach during each stage of the employment cycle (hiring, on-boarding, training, performance management), as they had an important role in building a mutual understanding between supervisors and employees. As such, our study draws upon and contributes to leader-member exchange theory. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior research, our study shows the importance of high-quality relationships between supervisors and supervisees for positive employment outcomes of autistic employees in organization but adds skilled communication facilitation as a novel antecedent to leader-member exchange, as a potentially key factor for autistic employees. Implications for rehabilitationThe relationship between the a manager and their employee is an important factor in effective organizational socialization and workplace outcomes for autistic employees.Job coaches can play a crucial role in building mutual understanding and high-quality relationships between managers and employees.Job coaches can support the inclusion of autistic employees by illustrating the multi-faceted socioemotional performance benefits over the longer term.

Better outcomes through patient - Provider therapeutic connections? An exploratory study of proposed mediating variables.

BACKGROUND: Patient-provider therapeutic connections (TCs) have been theorized to enhance patient outcomes as well as care provider job satisfaction and to reduce burnout. High-quality TCs may result in better matching of health care to patient needs, and thus, better care quality and patient outcomes. For care providers, work environments that enable high-quality TCs may make the work more motivating and facilitate resilience. METHOD: We surveyed patients (n = 346) and care providers (n = 341) about their experiences of TCs, and how TCs related to outcomes. We tested parallel mediation models to examine relations. RESULTS: TCs predicted better patient health status, mental health status, and satisfaction, and predicted greater care provider job satisfaction and lower burnout. TCs were theorized to operate through two sets of mechanisms (health self-efficacy and activation for patients; meaningfulness of work and psychological safety for providers). Results revealed significant indirect associations between TCs and outcomes for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: TCs are associated with patient and provider outcomes; however, these relations appear to be explained by several mediating variables. It appears that TCs are associated with better outcomes for patients through health self-efficacy and activation, and TCs are associated with better outcomes for care providers through meaningfulness of work and psychological safety.

Using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) to study adaptations in lung cancer screening delivery in the Veterans Health Administration: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer screening is a complex clinical process that includes identification of eligible individuals, shared decision-making, tobacco cessation, and management of screening results. Adaptations to the delivery process for lung cancer screening in situ are understudied and underreported, with the potential loss of important considerations for improved implementation. The Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) allows for a systematic enumeration of adaptations to implementation of evidence-based practices. We applied FRAME to study adaptations in lung cancer screening delivery processes implemented by lung cancer screening programs in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Enterprise-Wide Initiative. METHODS: We prospectively conducted semi-structured interviews at baseline and 1-year intervals with lung cancer screening program navigators at 10 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) between 2019 and 2021. Using this data, we developed baseline (1st) process maps for each program. In subsequent years (year 1 and year 2), each program navigator reviewed the process maps. Adaptations in screening processes were identified, documented, and mapped to FRAME categories. RESULTS: We conducted a total of 16 interviews across 10 VHA lung cancer screening programs (n=6 in year 1, n=10 in year 2) to collect adaptations. In year 1 (2020), six programs were operational and eligible. Of these, three reported adaptations to their screening process that were planned or in response to COVID-19. In year 2 (2021), all 10 programs were operational and eligible. Programs reported 14 adaptations in year 2. These adaptations were planned and unplanned and often triggered by increased workload; 57% of year 2 adaptations were related to the identification and eligibility of Veterans and 43% were related to follow-up with Veterans for screening results. Throughout the 2 years, adaptations related to data management and patient tracking occurred in 60% of programs to improve the data collection and tracking of Veterans in the screening process. CONCLUSIONS: Using FRAME, we found that adaptations occurred primarily in the areas of patient identification and communication of results due to increased workload. These findings highlight navigator time and resource considerations for sustainability and scalability of existing and future lung cancer screening programs as well as potential areas for future intervention.