Innovative Ways to improve quality of discharge summaries
NarveshwarSinha, GP Specialist Trainee,
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Other Contributors:
July 13, 2012
We read the article on discharge summaries by Mohta et al with
interest. We passionately believe that we must keep trying innovative
methods to improve the quality of this most important handover document of
care. Earlier this month, our audit to evaluate the extent to which
contents of all fields in the electronic discharge summary template are
completed with relevant information, revealed that the trainees had failed
to complete some of the most important fields in the template. We then
interviewed doctors at different seniority in our hospital to find the
reasons for such practice. We also interviewed GPs to confirm what they
want in these summaries. Based on the results, we now intend to implement
three interventions (1) Trainees will print random summaries completed by
them to do CbD (Case-based discussion) with their supervisors for their e-
portfolio. This will give them an opportunity for feedback from senior
consultants (2) We intend to put a large sticker on the top of the case
record for the clinicians to make note of any important clinical event as
it happens which should become part of the discharge summary at the time
of the patient discharge. Person completing the discharge summary will
make sure that all events on the sticker form part of the summary (3)
Formal training module on discharge summaries at the time of induction on
the first day when the trainee joins the Department. It will be
interesting to find the results of the closing loop results of this audit.
We read the article on discharge summaries by Mohta et al with interest. We passionately believe that we must keep trying innovative methods to improve the quality of this most important handover document of care. Earlier this month, our audit to evaluate the extent to which contents of all fields in the electronic discharge summary template are completed with relevant information, revealed that the trainees had failed to complete some of the most important fields in the template. We then interviewed doctors at different seniority in our hospital to find the reasons for such practice. We also interviewed GPs to confirm what they want in these summaries. Based on the results, we now intend to implement three interventions (1) Trainees will print random summaries completed by them to do CbD (Case-based discussion) with their supervisors for their e- portfolio. This will give them an opportunity for feedback from senior consultants (2) We intend to put a large sticker on the top of the case record for the clinicians to make note of any important clinical event as it happens which should become part of the discharge summary at the time of the patient discharge. Person completing the discharge summary will make sure that all events on the sticker form part of the summary (3) Formal training module on discharge summaries at the time of induction on the first day when the trainee joins the Department. It will be interesting to find the results of the closing loop results of this audit.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared