Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast, UK
Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast, UK.
BMJ Open Qual. 2024 Feb 22;13(1):e002467. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002467.
The COVID-19 pandemic dictated rapid reform in outpatient paediatric services. To reduce ward footfall and its associated infection risk, a trainee-led outpatient clinic was established with the aim to provide children with continuity of care following discharge from hospital. The service was created as a safe alternative to the long-standing practice of ward attenders while reducing mounting pressures on appointments at consultant-led clinics. Several issues arose in its implementation. A retrospective analysis with insights from service users found significant communication issues at various stages in referral, booking and follow-up management. This project aimed to reduce clinic non-attendance rates and ensure timely outpatient review with effective communication to all parties.Quality improvement methods allowed the problem to be understood and defined. Through consultation with service users in the start-up phase of the project, four key criteria were determined as essential for improving communication: indication, lead consultant, patient attendance and outcome letter provision. The project aimed to achieve 100% compliance across the four criteria during the 6-month project period. A baseline measure was established and measurements collected while five interventions were tested using plan-do-study-act test cycles.Following the small-scale tests, the run chart illustrated process improvement leading to meaningful change in outcome at both patient and service level. During the project, performance increased from a baseline median of one to a minimum of three out of four criteria being met for every patient. Several patients and families had a change in management as a direct result of their timely review and communication of clinic outcomes. These interventions resulted in a 50% reduction in the clinic's did not attend rate.The initial pandemic response to facilitate post-discharge care for children and young people led to frustrations surrounding communication breakdown among service users. Targeted interventions led to the development of a safer, more efficient service. Ongoing feedback continues to guide strategies for change with future work in service development focusing on capturing patient experience and improving patient-centred outcomes.
新冠疫情促使门诊儿科服务迅速改革。为了减少病房人流量及其相关感染风险,设立了由实习医生主导的门诊诊所,旨在为出院后的儿童提供连续性护理。该服务旨在为长期以来的病房就诊者提供一种安全的替代选择,同时减轻顾问主导诊所预约的压力。在实施过程中出现了几个问题。通过对服务使用者的回顾性分析,发现在转诊、预约和随访管理的各个阶段都存在严重的沟通问题。该项目旨在降低诊所的缺勤率,并确保所有相关方都能进行及时的门诊复查和有效沟通。质量改进方法使问题得到了理解和定义。通过在项目启动阶段与服务使用者协商,确定了四个关键标准,作为改善沟通的必要条件:适应症、首席顾问、患者就诊和提供结果信。该项目旨在在 6 个月的项目期间实现四个标准的 100%合规性。确定了基线措施,并在测试五个干预措施时收集了测量数据,这些干预措施使用计划-执行-研究-行动测试周期进行了测试。在小规模测试之后,运行图说明了流程改进,这导致了患者和服务层面结果的有意义变化。在项目期间,每个患者的表现从基线中位数的一项提高到了四项中的至少三项。由于及时审查和沟通诊所结果,一些患者和家庭的治疗方案发生了变化。这些干预措施使诊所的未就诊率降低了 50%。最初的疫情应对措施旨在为儿童和青少年提供出院后的护理,但这导致了服务使用者之间沟通中断的挫败感。有针对性的干预措施导致了更安全、更高效的服务的发展。持续的反馈继续指导变革策略,未来的服务发展工作将重点关注捕捉患者体验和改善以患者为中心的结果。