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Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography Clinic: A Quality Improvement Journey

Amara Nasir, MD (Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine PM&R Program, Purchase, New York); Ratnakar Veeramachaneni, MBBS, MD; Sikha Guha, MD

Meeting: AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021

Categories: Practice Management, Leadership, and Quality Improvement (2021)

Session Information

Session Title: AA 2021 Virtual Posters - Practice Management, Leadership, and Quality Improvement

Session Time: None. Available on demand.

Disclosures: Amara Nasir, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: Identifying, prioritizing, and implementing improvements in the patient journey is vital to providing an optimal patient experience. We sought to assess the knowledge, awareness, and pre-procedure instructions for Nerve Conduction (NCS) and Electromyography (EMG) in patients, and how the patient experience can be improved with the right tools, processes, and people.

Design: Quality improvement (QI) project- Questionnaire and data analysis.Setting : Survey.Participants : From December 2020 to July 2021, patients scheduled for NCS/EMG will be contacted by telephone. Currently, 98 patients have been identified. 6 patients with prior NCS/EMGs were excluded. 92 patients were contacted, of which 88 participated in our telephone survey.

Interventions: Patients were surveyed about their awareness about the NCS/EMG procedure, if they knew why they needed the procedure, if they have had an NCS/EMG in the past, and if they have been informed about not using lotion or wearing jewelry on their procedure day, which would hinder performing the NCS/EMG procedure. Patients were also educated about how an NCS/EMG study is performed.

Main Outcome Measures: To improve patient awareness and ultimately satisfaction by creating standardized instructions and informational brochures for NCS/EMG patients and sharing it with referring providers. To help reduce the pre-procedure set up time, and improve patient adherence to NCS/EMG follow ups.

Results: Data collection is ongoing. Out of the 88 participants, 53% responded that they knew why the test was being performed. 78% responded that they had not previously received an explanation on how an NCS/EMG test was performed. None of the patients were provided pre-procedural instructions, including being informed not to apply lotion, wear jewelry or tight clothing.Conclusions: This QI project demonstrates that most patients undergoing NCS/EMGs should be informed about the procedure, how to prepare for the procedure, and what to expect on the day of the procedure. This will lead to better patient satisfaction and time utilization.

Level of Evidence: Level III

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Nasir A, Veeramachaneni R, Guha S. Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography Clinic: A Quality Improvement Journey [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/nerve-conduction-studies-and-electromyography-clinic-a-quality-improvement-journey/. Accessed May 20, 2025.

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