Open access has dramatically atltered the way that patients have access to the gastrointestinal (GI) department. Current data is from November 2005 till the present and boasts over 30,000 patients. New updates include developement of an online form and looking at how to streamline the process to access patients with no current medical record in order to provide a safe and timely procedure. Statistics have been an important tool for us to justify the process not only to our physicians, but also to the financial management of our department. There is power in numbers, providing a timely service, and utilizing staff in a cost effective way.

Section Description

We are pleased to present the abstracts from sgna's 36th annual course, SGNA: your gateway to opportunity. The diversity of these topics certainly reflects the richness and breadth of our specialty. in keeping with the tradition of the annual course, we hope the following abstracts will encourage discussions for improving nursing practice and patient care outcomes.