Presentations 2020: OMFS

372 - Quality Improvement Project: The Importance and Incorporation of Patient Medical Histories onto OMFS Handovers

F Dylgjeri
Presented by: Flavia Dylgjeri
Cardiff Dental Hospital

Introduction The presence of a clear and structured handover is paramount. Ensuring we have all the relevant information on our in-patients is vital, as incomplete or delayed information can compromise safety, quality and the patient’s experience of health care with us. A key part of this is the inclusion of the medical histories (MH) and allergies of each of our in-patients. The BMA, NICE and The RCP have all published guidance on this. We use the TeamTalk electronic system of handover which helps with our organisation. However, it was noticed we were frequently missing the MH/Allergies of our patients as there is currently no pre-designated MH tab on the system to remind us. Aims To increase the percentage of in-patients with a valid MH on OMFS handovers from 50% to 95%. Methods Prospective collection of AM and PM handovers during the week, looking at the percentage number of in-patients with a valid MH entry. This will be repeated after each set change is put into place including: 1. Educational meeting verbally informing all OMFS SHOs to remember to include MH for each in-patient they add. 2. Creating small poster cards and attaching them onto the TeamTalk computers and also in the OMFS theatre scrub rooms to act as a fixed reminder to the SHOs. 3. Finally attempting to liaison to incorporate a MH tab onto the TeamTalk database itself. Results The percentage number of MHs included for each in-patient at OMFS handovers increased with each change that was implemented. The biggest process shift was seen after the second change. Conclusion The presence of a clear MH of our in-patients on OMFS handovers is crucial to ensuring patient safety. During this quality improvement project, the number of MHs being included rose considerably after each change was introduced. This has been promising to witness and there is hope it will continue to improve with further effort. Good communication and team work being a vital key to its ongoing success.
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

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