Which of the following is an example of a balancing indicator?

• A. Timely medication reconciliation.
• B. Effect of staffing changes on patient wait times.
• C. Rate of hospital-acquired infections.
• D. Patient satisfaction with discharge instructions.

Answer: (B)

Balancing indicators are used to detect unintended consequences when you implement a change, showing how a shift in one part of the system affects another part. Measuring how staffing changes influence patient wait times directly reveals whether increasing or decreasing staff speeds things up or creates new bottlenecks, helping you see the overall balance between capacity and demand while considering patient experience.

The other options describe process, safety, or experience measures that don’t specifically capture the unintended effects of a change on system balance. Timely medication reconciliation tracks whether a process is performed correctly; the rate of hospital-acquired infections reflects patient safety outcomes; and patient satisfaction with discharge instructions concerns the patient experience, not the balancing effect of a staffing change.

So, the example that best fits a balancing indicator is the effect of staffing changes on patient wait times.