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Introduction: As the therapeutic options in the management of type 2 diabetes increase, there is an increase confusion among health care professionals, thus leading to the phenomenon of therapeutic inertia. This is the failure to escalate or de-escalate treatment when the clinical need for this is required. It has been studied extensively in various settings, however, it has never been reported in any studies focusing solely on primary care physicians with an interest in diabetes. This group is increasingly becoming the focus of managing complex diabetes care in the community, albeit with the support from specialists. Methods: In this retrospective audit, we assessed the prevalence of the phenomenon of therapeutic inertia amongst primary care physicians with an interest in diabetes in UK. We also assessed the predictive abilities of various patient level characteristics on therapeutic inertia amongst this group of clinicians. Results: Out of the 240 patients reported on, therapeutic inertia was judged to have occurred in 53 (22.1%) of patients. The full model containing all the selected variables was not statistically significant, p = 0.59. So the model was not able to distinguish between situations in which therapeutic inertia occurred and when it did not occur. None of the patient level characteristics on its own was predictive of therapeutic inertia. Conclusion: Therapeutic inertia was present only in about a fifth of patient patients with diabetes being managed by primary care physicians with an interest in diabetes.

Background: Acute stroke patients are usually transported to the nearest hospital regardless of their required level of care. This can lead to increased pressure on emergency departments and treatment delay. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the benefit of a mobile stroke unit (MSU) in the UK National Health Service (NHS) for reduction of hospital admissions. Methods: Prospective cohort audit observation with dispatch of the MSU in the East of England Ambulance Service area in Southend-on-Sea was conducted. Emergency patients categorized as code stroke and headache were included from June 5, 2018, to December 18, 2018. Rate of avoided admission to the accident and emergency (A&E) department, rate of admission directly to target ward, and stroke management metrics were assessed. Results: In 116 MSU-treated patients, the following diagnoses were made: acute stroke, n = 33 (28.4%); transient ischaemic attacks, n = 13 (11.2%); stroke mimics, n = 32 (27.6%); and other conditions, n = 38 (32.8%). Pre-hospital thrombolysis was administered to 8 of 28 (28.6%) ischaemic stroke patients. Pre-hospital diagnosis avoided hospital admission for 29 (25.0%) patients. As hospital treatment was indicated, 35 (30.2%) patients were directly triaged to the stroke unit, 1 patient (0.9%) even directly to the catheter laboratory. Thus, only 50 (43.1%) patients required transfer to the A&E department. Moreover, the MSU enabled thrombolysis with a median dispatch-to-needle time of 42 min (interquartile range, 40–60). Conclusion: This first deployment of an MSU in the UK NHS demonstrated improved triage decision-making for or against hospital admission and admission to the appropriate target ward, thereby reducing pressure on strained A&E departments.

Background Overall survival (OS) for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in vulnerable subgroups remains poorly understood with scarce data available to guide treatment decisions. The study describes real-world detailed treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with advanced MPM overall and specifically in elderly and poor performance status (PS) patients. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed for all patients with histologically confirmed MPM seen at University Health Network/Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (UHN-PM). Results A total of 667 patients with MPM were identified and 304 advanced-disease MPM (aMPM) patients had continuing care at U HN- P M (UP-cohort). In the UP-cohort, 77% of patients received ≥ one line of systemic treatment. Systemic therapy trial participation was 39%. Patients not treated with systemic therapy (29%) were more likely to be ≥ 75 years and PS ≥ 2. Median OS was 15.3 months (95%CI 13.6-18.3), with longer survival in treated vs. untreated patients (17.4 vs. 10.6 months; P = .01). Longer survival with systemic treatment was seen in patients ≥75 years (12.7 vs. 6.6 months) and patients with poor PS (9.1 vs. 5.9 months). Median progression-free-survival (PFS) and OS for patients treated with second-line therapy was poor (3.0 and 8.9 months, respectively). Discussion In our real-world analysis of patients with aMPM treated at an academic referral centre, systemic treatment was given to the majority of patients and benefit was seen even in the elderly and poor PS patients frequently underrepresented in clinical trials. Trial participation was potentially facilitated by the formation of a dedicated multidisciplinary MPM clinic.

Background It is important to examine perinatal deaths as part of a national mortality audit to identify risk factors. Implementing and re-evaluating recommendations from perinatal mortality audits completes the audit cycle, preventing similar deaths in the future. Lack of implementation results in recommendations recurring. Objectives In this study we examine national perinatal mortality audits’ methodology in four high-income countries (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands) to highlight different approaches taken. We compare the recommendations made in these audits’ reports over the last five years, as well as review national initiatives and programmes addressing them. Study Design This study is an integrative review where two comprehensive literature searches were completed: on established national perinatal mortality audits in high-income countries; and on national initiatives addressing recommendations from these audits. Content analysis of the audits’ recommendations was performed organising them into themes according to topics these focused on. Results Though the methodology of the national perinatal mortality audits varied, all four were state-funded and had standardised online data collection forms to report deaths. The recommendations themes included: Raising public awareness of perinatal mortality risk factors, Detection of fetal growth restriction, Prevention of preterm birth, Resources for data collection and review. Only the UK had various initiatives addressing perinatal mortality risk factors directly. New Zealand included stakeholders in the audit recommendations’ development and provided updates on their implementation. The Netherlands developed a programme for audit recommendation implementation. Ireland created a group which is progressing some recommendations from the audit. Conclusions National perinatal mortality audits are important in identifying contributory factors and making recommendations to address these. Recurring recommendations suggest a failure to resolve the identified issues. This study shows how some challenges are common to high-income countries’ audits, highlighting the need for shared learning of successful initiatives.

Background Adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting rates and high-quality data within case summary reports are crucial to detect emerging safety concerns and implement regulatory action. In this study we aimed to improve the data quality and reporting rates of ADR reports in Malta through a series of national activities. Research design and methods Between April 2018 and July 2019, we carried out the following activities: i) a review of wholesale dealers ADR reporting forms; ii) a series of educational workshops targeting physicians and pharmacist; iii) a quality system audit of the Authority's ADR management process. Results Twelve wholesaler dealer forms were reviewed, and 155 improvements were identified. Incident reporting forms modified to capture ADRs had the most opportunities for improvement. Five workshops were organised and a total of 62 physicians and 22 pharmacists attended. Although feedback from participants was positive, in our case, an increase in reporting was not observed following the workshops. The quality system audit resulted in the introduction of the "four-eye principle" to the Authority's ADR management process. Conclusions The implementation of such activities is expected to contribute to the overall pharmacovigilance systems in Malta and our experience could benefit other entities involved in spontaneous ADR reporting.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the associations between characteristics of physicians working in primary care emergency units (PCEUs) and the outcome of assessments of the medical records. Design Data from a previous case-control study was used to evaluate factors related to medical errors. Setting Ten Norwegian PCEUs were included. Subjects Physicians that had evoked a patient complaint, and a random sample of three physicians from the same PCEU and time period as the physician who had evoked a complaint. Recorded physician characteristics were: gender, seniority, citizenship at, and years after authorization as a physician, specialty in general practice, and workload at the PCEU. Main outcome measures: Assessments of the medical records: errors that may have led to harm, no medical error, or inconclusive. Results In the complaint group 77 physicians were included, and in the random sample group 217. In the first group, 53.2% of the medical records were assessed as revealing medical errors. In the random sample group, this percentage was 3.2. In the complaint group the percentages for no-error and inconclusive for the female physicians were 30.8 and 15.4; and for the male physicians 9.8 and 27.3, p = 0.027. Conclusion In the group of complaints there was a higher percentage with no assessed medical error, and a lower percentage with inconclusive assessments of medical errors, among female physicians compared to their male colleagues. We found no other physician factors that were associated with assessed medical errors. Future research should focus on the underlying elements of these findings.Key pointsMedical errors are among the leading causes of death and they are essentially avoidable. Primary care emergency units are a vulnerable arena for committing medical errors.By assessing the medical records of a group of physicians who had evoked a complaint, no differences related to physician factors were revealed in the incidence of medical errors.In the group of female physicians, the proportion of no-errors, was higher, and the percentage of inconclusive medical records was lower than for their male colleagues.The Norwegian regulations on independent participation in PCEUs may have modulated these results.

PURPOSE To evaluate the outcomes and safety of retropupillary iris-claw intraocular lens implantation and associated pars plana vitrectomy. METHODS Multicenter, national audit of 325 eyes (325 patients). Demographics, surgical details, and complications are described. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and central retinal thickness assessed by optical coherence tomography were collected at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Kaplan-Meier curves were created to assess the cumulative probability of postoperative visual acuity and intraocular pressure levels, macular edema development, and corneal decompensation. RESULTS The cumulative probability of the final visual acuity ≤0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (≥20/40 Snellen) was 75.6% at 12-month follow-up. The probability of intraocular pressure >21, ≥25, and ≥30 mmHg was 48.1%, 33.1%, and 19.0%, and the probability of intraocular pressure-lowering drops was 50.9% at 12 months. Glaucoma surgery was required in 4.3% of the eyes (14/325). The cumulative probability of macular edema was 20.5% at 12 months and was greater in complicated cataract surgery than in intraocular lens-luxation eyes (26% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.04). Corneal transplantation was required in 2.8% of the eyes (9/325). CONCLUSION This study on 325 eyes with aphakia or intraocular lens dislocation managed with the retropupillary iris-claw intraocular lens technique provides clinical outcomes in a real-world scenario, reporting relevant data for patient counseling and preoperative discussions.

Item does not contain fulltext OBJECTIVE: In the pursuit of quality improvement, this study aimed to investigate volume-outcome trends in oncologic esophagectomy in the Netherlands. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Concentration of Dutch esophageal cancer care was dictated by introducing an institutional minimum of 20 resections/yr. METHODS: This nationwide cohort study included all esophagectomy patients registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit in 2016-2019 from hospitals currently still performing esophagectomies. Annual esophagectomy hospital volume was assigned to each patient and categorized into quartiles. Multivariable logistic regression investigated short-term surgical outcomes. Restricted cubic splines investigated if volume-outcome relationships eventually plateaued. RESULTS: In 16 hospitals, 3135 esophagectomies were performed. First volume quartile hospitals performed 24-39 resections/yr; second, third, and fourth quartile hospitals performed 40-53, 54-69, and 70-101, respectively. Compared to quartile 1, in quartiles 2 to 4, overall/severe/technical complication, anastomotic leakage, and prolonged hospital/intensive care unit stay rates were significantly lower and textbook outcome and lymph node yield were higher. When raising the cut-off from the first to second quartile, higher-volume centers had less technical complications [Adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70-0.96], less anastomotic leakage (aOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.66-0.97), more textbook outcome (aOR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07-1.46), shorter intensive care unit stay (aOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.93), and higher lymph node yield (aOR: 3.56, 95% CI: 2.68-4.77). For most outcomes the volume-outcome trend plateaued at 50-60 annual resections, but lymph node yield and anastomotic leakage continued to improve. CONCLUSION: Although this study does not reflect on individual hospital quality, there appears to be a volume trend towards better outcomes in high-volume centers. Projects have been initiated to improve national quality of care by reducing hospital variation (irrespective of volume) in outcomes in The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: In response to a facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak, our tertiary acute care hospital implemented an evidence-based bundle of infection control practices including the use of audits and trained observers "dofficers" to provide real-time constructive feedback. METHODS: We trained furloughed staff to perform the role of dofficer. They offered support and corrective feedback on proper PPE use and completed 21-point audits during a 4-week intervention period. Audits tracked appropriate signage, placement and availability of supplies (equipment), correct PPE use, enhanced environmental cleaning, along with cohorting and social distancing rates. Audit data was used to provide weekly quality improvement reports to units. RESULTS: Nine hundred and sixty two separate audits recorded 36,948 observations, over 7,696 observer-hours. The most common errors were with environmental cleaning and PPE use; the least common were with regards to equipment availability and cohorting and social distancing. Mean error rates decreased from 9.81% to 2.88% (P < .001). The largest reduction, 22.57%, occurred in the category of PPE doffing errors. CONCLUSIONS: Dofficer led audits effectively identified areas for improvement. Feedback through weekly reports and real-time correction of PPE errors by dofficers led to statistically significant improvements; however, error rates remained high. Further research is needed establish if these relationships are causal.

Background. Evaluation of the quality of healthcare depends on measures of structures, processes and outcomes. Progress in recording data allows for better measures of processes, such as the completeness of clinical data, the performance of professional tasks and the use of checklists. Objectives. To report the results of a radiotherapy (RT) workflow audit and a subsequent online survey of user experience. Methods. The RT workflow audit was developed in 2016 and has been undertaken twice a year at 28 facilities or units, with a total of 32 linear accelerators. Electronic patient folders were reviewed to assess the documentation of 90 task items, of which 64 were scored. The auditor came from another facility. The online survey took place in July 2020. It contained questions on the audit’s process, professional value and future use. Invitations were sent by email to the 151 radiotherapist staff at the 28 units where the audit had been implemented. Responses were anonymous. Results. For the RT workflow audit, scores improved from 60% in some units in 2016 to >90% in all units for at least 2 years since 2018. The number of responders to the online survey was 58, giving a responder rate of 38%. The margin of error of the results was 10%. The audit’s task items were considered appropriate by 77% of responders, and feedback was reported by 78% of them. The audit was considered very or extremely valuable to their unit’s service delivery by 58% of responders. Changes in the unit as a result of the audit were reported by 77% of responders. The audit was very useful or extremely useful to 75% of responders in maintaining personal professional standards. The proportion of responders who were very or extremely supportive of continuing with the audit was 77%. The comments in the online survey will be helpful for ongoing review of the RT workflow audit. Conclusions. The RT workflow audit extends the scope of accreditation audits by including measures of processes. Users of the audit evaluate its processes favourably and report that it has value both in their unit’s clinical service and for their personal professional standards. The audit is effective in developing quality improvement programmes.

The act of the Medical Service of the Health Funds (MDK) is intended to shift health services previously provided in inpatient care to the outpatient care sector in accordance with § 115b SGB V. The aim of this study was the investigation of potential groups of inpatient cases of a university hospital for trauma surgery and orthopedics, which might be at risk for transfer to surgical outpatient treatment.Data collection using SAP Data Warehouse included all inpatient cases 2017-2019, with subgroup analysis of economic parameters of three risk groups (RG): 1) primary misallocation, 2) procedures of AOP categories 1 and/or 2 and 3) elective 1‑day cases. Furthermore, an analysis of epidemiological parameters and an economic evaluation were performed.Primary misallocations related to 245 cases, RG 2 had 764 cases and RG 3 had 891 cases. The average age was 45.5 ± 17.7 years and in 90% there were no relevant comorbidities (PCCL 0). The majority of cases were assigned to DRG I23B and I21Z (removal of osteosynthesis material, 15-23%), followed by open or arthroscopic surgery of the extremities (DRG I32F, I32G, I24Z, I18B, 6-9%). In cases of a statutory shift of inpatient to outpatient surgical procedures, the potential loss of revenue in 2017 was € 1,049,207, in 2018 € 1,076,727 and in 2019 € 923,163.Individual groups have an increased potential in certain DRGs for a shift from inpatient to outpatient surgical procedures and are at risk for relevant revenue reductions in the course of further expansion of outpatient care. Proactive patient management in terms of outpatient versus inpatient treatment and special management of staff and spatial resources are necessary to anticipate potential downstream revenue cuts.HINTERGRUND: Durch das Reformgesetz des Medizinischen Dienstes der Kassen (MDK) soll u. a. eine Verlagerung bislang stationär erbrachter Leistungen in den ambulanten Versorgungsektor bzw. die Versorgung nach §115b SGB V umgesetzt werden. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung bestimmter Gruppen stationärer Fälle eines universitären Maximalversorgers für Unfallchirurgie und Orthopädie, die das Risiko einer operativen Ambulantisierung tragen.Die Datenerfassung mittels SAP Data Warehouse umfasst alle stationären Fälle 2017–2019. Es erfolgt die Subgruppenanalyse der Krankenhausleistungsparameter von 3 potenziellen Risikogruppen (RG): 1) primäre Fehlbelegungen, 2) Katalogleistungen der AOP-Kategorie 1 und/oder 2 sowie 3) elektive Eintagesfälle als hypothetische Risikogruppe. Zudem erfolgt eine Analyse epidemiologischer und ökonomischer Parameter.Eine primäre Fehlbelegung (RG 1) wurde vom MDK in 245 Fällen beanstandet. RG 2 umfasst 764 Fälle und RG 3 891 Fälle. Das Kollektiv wies ein Durchschnittsalter von 45,5 ± 17,7 Jahren auf und zeigte in 90 % keine relevanten Nebendiagnosen (PCCL 0). Der Hauptanteil der Fälle ließ sich den DRG I23B und I21Z (Entfernung von Osteosynthesematerial, 15–23 %) zuordnen, nachfolgend offenen oder arthroskopischen Eingriffen an den Extremitäten (DRG I32F, I32G, I24Z, I18B, 6–9 %). Im Falle einer zunehmenden Ambulantisierung ergibt sich ein potenzielles Erlösrisiko 2017 von 1.049.207 €, 2018 von 1.076.727 € und 2019 von 923.163 €.Einzelne Gruppen haben ein erhöhtes Transferpotenzial in bestimmten DRG für ambulante Operationen. Eine proaktive Patientensteuerung in Bezug auf ambulante vs. stationäre Behandlung sowie ein besonderes Management personeller und räumlicher Ressourcen sind notwendig, um nachgelagerte Erlöskürzungen zu antizipieren.

Oncologic, urinary, and sexual outcomes are important to patients receiving prostate cancer surgery. The objective of this study was to determine if providing surgical report cards (SuReps) to surgeons resulted in improved patient outcomes.A prospective before-and-after study was conducted at The Ottawa Hospital. A total of 422 consecutive patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were enrolled. The intervention was provision of report cards to surgeons. The control cohort was patients treated before report card feedback (pre-SuRep), and the intervention cohort was patients treated after report card feedback (post-SuRep). The primary outcomes were postoperative erectile function, urinary continence, and positive surgical margins.Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Almost all patients (99%) were continent and the majority (59%) were potent prior to surgery. Complete 1-year followup was available for 400 patients (95%). Nerve sparing surgery increased from 70% pre-SuRep to 82% post-SuRep (p=0.01). There was a nonstatistically significant increase in the proportion of patients with a positive surgical margin post-SuRep (31% pre-SuRep vs 39% post-SuRep, p=0.08). There was no difference in postoperative erectile function (17% vs 18%, p=0.7) and a decrease in continence (75% vs 65%, p=0.02) at 1 year postoperatively.The SuRep platform allows accurate reporting of surgical outcomes that can be used for patient counseling. However, the provision of surgical report cards did not improve functional or oncologic outcomes. Longer durations of feedback, report card modifications, or targeted interventions are likely necessary to improve outcomes.

Maintaining accurate and complete operation notes is an essential metric of the quality of surgical care. While developed countries have implemented electronic health records to improve documentation, financial constraints prevent this realisation in the Caribbean. Somewhat paradoxically, previous studies in this area have focussed on ‘process’ while neglecting the key role of the surgeon. We conducted a 25-item Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices survey of orthopaedic doctors to identify any culturally unique health-related behaviours. Our results indicate that while most doctors understand the importance of operation notes, many are unaware of international note-keeping recommendations. Legibility was identified as a significant issue by 92% of doctors. A disturbing and previously unreported finding from the study revealed that 72% of surgeons would occasionally write the operation notes, although they were not scrubbed in for the procedure. We suggest that future studies examine this peculiar behaviour in greater detail.

Background: Common bile duct exploration (CBDE) is performed uncommonly. Issues surrounding its uptake in the laparoscopic era include perceived difficulty and lack of training. We aim to determine the success of CBDE performed by "specialist" and "nonspecialist" common bile duct (CBD) surgeons to determine whether there is a substantial difference in success and safety. Methods: A 10-year retrospective audit was performed of patients undergoing CBD exploration for choledocholithiasis. Northern Health maintains an on-call available "specialist" CBD surgeon roster to aid with CBDE. Results: Five hundred fifty-one patients were identified, of which 489/551 (88.7%) patients had stones successfully cleared. Specialists had a higher success rate (90.8% versus 82.6%, P = .008), associated with a longer surgical time. Method (transcystic or transductal), approach (laparoscopic or open), and indication for operation were similar between groups. There was no significant difference in complications. To be confident of a surgeon having an 80% success rate, 70 procedures over 10 years were required, however, an "in-control" 50% success rate may only require 1 procedure per year. Conclusion: While specialist CBDE surgeons have improved success rates, nonspecialist general surgeons also have a good and comparable success rate with an equivalent complication rate. With realistic annual targets, nonspecialist CBD surgeons should be encouraged to perform CBDE in centers without specialist support.

Background: Neonates and infants are susceptible to hypoxaemia in the perioperative period. The aim of this study was to analyse interventions related to anaesthesia tracheal intubations in this European cohort and identify their clinical consequences. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of tracheal intubations of the European multicentre observational trial (NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe [NECTARINE]) in neonates and small infants with difficult tracheal intubation. The primary endpoint was the incidence of difficult intubation and the related complications. The secondary endpoints were the risk factors for severe hypoxaemia attributed to difficult airway management, and 30 and 90 day outcomes. Results: Tracheal intubation was planned in 4683 procedures. Difficult tracheal intubation, defined as two failed attempts of direct laryngoscopy, occurred in 266 children (271 procedures) with an incidence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 5.8% (95% CI, 5.1e6.5). Bradycardia occurred in 8% of the cases with difficult intubation, whereas a significant decrease in oxygen saturation (SpO2

AimsTo evaluate our medical liver pathology practice and its influence on patient management, using audit templates published by the UK Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath).MethodsWe audited medical liver biopsies reported in our centre in 2019 using RCPath proformas. Data were collected from pathology reports and corresponding electronic patient record.Results60 cases were selected for audit from 135 eligible biopsies reported in 2019. 58/60 cases were core biopsies and 2/60 were laparoscopic wedge biopsies. 53/57 (93%) core biopsies with available data met RCPath adequacy criteria (length >15 mm and/or ≥6 portal tracts). Most reports (57/60; 95%) were judged to have helped patient management. 25/60 (42%) biopsy reports helped to clarify the clinical diagnosis and 48/60 (80%) led to altered management.ConclusionsWe demonstrate the utility of the RCPath audit templates, highlighting the clinical value of medical liver biopsies in the diagnostic work-up and management of patients with liver disease.

Objectives Preterm birth clinics provide dedicated obstetric care to women at high risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB). There remains a lack of conclusive evidence to support the overall utility of such clinics, attributable to a paucity and heterogeneity of primary data. This study audits Australia’s largest and oldest dedicated preterm birth clinic with the aim to add primary data to the area and offer opportunities for similar clinics to align practice. Methods A retrospective audit of referrals to the Preterm Labour Clinic at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, between 2004 and 2018 was conducted. 1,405 singleton pregnancies met inclusion criteria. The clinic’s key outcomes, demographics, predictive tests and interventions were analysed. The primary outcomes were SPTB before 37, 34 and 30 weeks’ gestation. Results The overall incidence of SPTB in the clinic was 21.2% (n=294). Linear regression showed reductions in the adjusted rates of overall SPTB and pre-viable SPTB (delivery Conclusions Dedicated preterm birth clinics can reduce rates of SPTB, particularly deliveries before 24 weeks’ gestation, and improve short-term neonatal outcomes in pregnant women at risk of preterm birth.

Objectives To assess the quality of care for patients with diabetes in Queensland hospitals, including blood glucose control, rates of hospital-acquired harm, the incidence of insulin prescription and management errors, and appropriate foot and peri-operative care. Design, setting Cross-sectional audit of 27 public hospitals in Queensland: four of five tertiary/quaternary referral centres, four of seven large regional or outer metropolitan hospitals, seven of 13 smaller outer metropolitan or small regional hospitals, and 12 of 88 hospitals in rural or remote locations. Participants 850 adult inpatients with diabetes mellitus in medical, surgical, mental health, high dependency, or intensive care wards. Results Twenty-seven of 115 public hospitals that admit acute inpatients participated in the audit, including 4175 of 6652 eligible acute hospital beds in Queensland. A total of 1003 patients had diabetes (24%), and data were collected for 850 (85%). Their mean age was 65.9 years (SD, 15.1 years), 357 were women (42%), and their mean HbA1c level was 66 mmol/mol (SD, 26 mmol/mol). Rates of good diabetes days (appropriate monitoring, no more than one blood glucose measurement greater than 10 mmol/L, and none below 5 mmol/L) were low in patients with type 1 diabetes (22.1 per 100 patient-days) or type 2 diabetes treated with insulin (40.1 per 100 patient-days); hypoglycaemia rates were high for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (24.1 episodes per 100 patient-days). One or more medication errors were identified for 201 patients (32%), including insulin prescribing errors for 127 patients (39%). Four patients with type 1 diabetes experienced diabetic ketoacidosis in hospital (8%); 121 patients (14%) met the criteria for review by a specialist diabetes team but were not reviewed by any diabetes specialist (medical, nursing, allied health). Conclusions We identified several deficits in inpatient diabetes management in Queensland, including high rates of medication error and hospital-acquired harm and low rates of appropriate glycaemic control, particularly for patients treated with insulin. These deficits require attention, and ongoing evaluation of outcomes is necessary.

AIM: To report an audit of the evaluation of suspected, unconfirmed cases of COVID-19 including chest computed tomography (CT), as compared to World Health Organization recommendations. METHODS: A clinical audit was undertaken examining the evaluation of patients with suspected COVID-19 with negative SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results, with comparison to WHO recommendations. A retrospective chart review was undertaken for 90 patients examining investigations, in particular CT, used to clarify the diagnosis. RESULTS: Ninety patients underwent additional investigation. Seventy-five per cent adherence to WHO recommendations was observed. Fifty-two men (57.78%) and 38 (42.22%) women were investigated, with a median age of 69 years (range 20-96 years). Seventy-nine chest CT examinations demonstrated positive, indeterminate, and negative rates for COVID-19 of 3.79%, 24.1%, and 72.15% respectively. Three patients had discordant swab results with initially negative and subsequently positive results for SARS-CoV-2, resulting in false-negative rates of 5.1% for those retested. Combining discordant RT-PCR swab results, positive radiology, and patients treated as COVID-19-positive due to indeterminate radiology and highly consistent symptoms, resulted in a false-negative rate for initial SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR swabs of 16.67%. CONCLUSION: Seventy-five per cent compliance with relevant WHO guidance and a false-negative rate for initial swabs of 16.67% was demonstrated. Further evidence is needed to fully determine the utility of chest CT in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in the context of initial false-negative RT-PCR results.

The public reporting of patient outcomes is crucial for quality improvement and informing patient choice. However, outcome reporting in radiotherapy, despite being a major component of cancer control, is extremely sparse globally. Public reporting has many challenges, including difficulties in defining meaningful measures of treatment quality, limitations in data infrastructure, and fragmented health insurance schemes. The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA), done in the England and Wales National Health Service (NHS), shows that it is feasible to develop outcome indicators for radiotherapy treatment, including patient-reported outcomes. The NPCA provides a transparent mechanism for comparing the performance of all NHS providers, with results accessible to patients, providers, and policy makers. Using the NPCA as a case study, we discuss the development of a radiotherapy-outcomes reporting programme, its impact and future potential, and the challenges and opportunities to develop this approach across other tumour types and in different health systems.

HIV partner notification (PN) is a highly effective strategy to identify people living with undiagnosed HIV infection. This national audit of HIV PN is against the 2015 British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)/British HIV Association (BHIVA)/Society of Sexual Health Advisers (SHAA)/National AIDS Trust (NAT) HIV PN standards, developed in response to the 2013 BASHH/BHIVA national HIV PN audit. We report significant improvements in the number of contacts tested per index case, likely due, in part, to clearer definitions as well as better ascertainment and reporting. There remains scope for improvement with informing and testing contactable contacts. Recommendations from this audit include further refinement of definitions and development of a national proforma for HIV PN.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the short-term effect of cycloplegia on higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in school-age myopic children who received 0.25% atropine for cycloplegic refraction. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of 24 myopic children between the ages of 5 and 15 years, who had received one topical drop of 0.25% atropine for three consecutive nights before undergoing cycloplegic refraction. Auto-refraction, visual acuity, and HOAs measured with the iTrace aberrometer were compared before and after atropine use. To account for the effect of cycloplegia, the amount of HOAs under matching scanning sizes was compared. RESULTS There were statistically significant differences in the spherical equivalent, with a hyperopic shift after atropine use (p < 0.001). Corrected visual acuity and spherical aberrations showed no significant change under the respective pupil and scanning sizes before and after atropine use. Under identical scanning sizes, there was a significant change in total spherical aberration (from 0.03 to 0.06 μm, p = 0.044) and internal spherical aberration (from -0.10 to -0.05 μm, p = 0.049) after atropine use. Differences in corneal spherical aberration were insignificant. CONCLUSION The positive shift of spherical aberration induced by the inhibition of accommodation in myopic children may have a possible effect against myopic progression. Future studies can focus on the long-term effect on HOAs and impact on visual quality with lower concentrations of atropine.

Summary Background & aims In hospital nutrition care the difficulty of translating knowledge to action often leads to inadequate management of patients with malnutrition. nutritionDay, an annual cross-sectional survey has been assessing nutrition care in healthcare institutions in 66 countries since 2006. While initial efforts led to increased awareness of malnutrition, specific local remedial actions rarely followed. Thus, reducing the Knowledge-to-action (KTA) gap in nutrition care requires more robust and focused strategies. This study describes the strategy, methods, instruments and experience of developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0, an audit and feedback intervention that uses quality and economic indicators, feedback, benchmarking and self-defined action strategies to reduce the KTA gap in hospital nutrition care. Methods We used an evidence based multi-professional mixed-methods approach to develop and implement nutritionDay 2.0 This audit and feedback intervention is driven by a Knowledge-to-Action framework complemented with robust stakeholder analysis. Further evidence was synthesized from the literature, online surveys, a pilot study, World Cafes and individual expert feedback involving international health care professionals, nutrition care scientists and patients. Results The process of developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0 over three years resulted in a new audit questionnaire based on 36 nutrition care quality and economic indicators at hospital, unit and patient levels, a new action-oriented feedback and benchmarking report and a unit-level personalizable action plan template. The evaluation of nutritionDay 2.0 is ongoing and will include satisfaction and utility of nutritionDay 2.0 tools and short-, mid- and long-term effects on the KTA gap. Conclusion In clinical practice, nutritionDay 2.0 has the potential to promote behavioural and practice changes and improve hospital nutrition care outcomes. In research, the data generated advances knowledge about institutional malnutrition and quality of hospital nutrition care. The ongoing evaluation of the initiative will reveal how far the KTA gap in hospital nutrition care was addressed and facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms needed for successful audit and feedback. Trial registration Registration in clinicaltrials.gov: Identifier: NCT02820246.

Background Hospitals in many countries are encouraged to develop audits to assess and improve the quality of care. Ward audit is a specific form of audit and feedback that is commonly used but little studied. The aim of this study is to describe the content and application of hospital ward audit in order to identify potential enhancements to such audits. Methods Multiple qualitative methods were used to study a diversity sample of four English National Health Service organisations over a 16-month period. We undertook semi-structured interviews (n = 32), documentary analysis (n = 44) and 25 h of observations of healthcare workers involved in the design and implementation of ward audit. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Findings were presented iteratively to stakeholders who used them to develop a description of the content and delivery of ward audit. Results Ward audit consisted of seven stages: impetus; method; preparation of staff; assessing practice; analysis; feedback; and decide on action to improve. Two key stages were the monthly assessment of practice using case note data extraction, and the resulting feedback to clinical staff, ward managers, matrons and directors of nursing. At three organisations, the case note data were extracted by staff and there was evidence that this resulted in misrepresentation of the clinical performance audited. The misrepresentation appeared to be associated with the anticipation of punitive feedback from directors of nursing and matrons, as well as time pressures and a lack clarity about the method of audit data collection. Punitive feedback was reported to occur if no data were collected, if data demonstrated poor performance or if performance did not improve. Conclusions Organisations invest considerable clinical resources in ward audit, but such audits may have unintended, potentially negative, consequences due to the impacts from punitive feedback. We discuss potential enhancements to ward audit (e.g. providing feedback recipients with suggested actions for improvement) and discuss implications for theory. There is a need to reduce the use of punitive feedback.

OBJECTIVES: To report changes in practice brought about by COVID-19 and the implementation of new guidelines, and to explore factors relating to unscheduled re-presentations for patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Prospective multicentre national audit over 12 weeks from 6th April 2020. SETTING: UK secondary care ENT departments. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with acute epistaxis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Re-presentation within 10 days for patients discharged from the ED. RESULTS: Eighty three centres from all four UK nations submitted 2631 valid cases. The majority of cases were ED referrals (89.7%, n = 2358/2631). 54.6% were discharged from the ED following ENT review (n = 1267/2322), of whom 19.5% re-presented within 10 days (n = 245/1259) and 6.8% were ultimately admitted (n = 86/1259). 46.7% of patients had a non-dissolvable pack inserted by ED prior to referral to ENT (n = 1099/2355). The discharge rates for ED patients and their subsequent re-presentation rates were as follows: non-dissolvable packs, 29.5% discharged (n = 332/1125), 18.2% re-presented (n = 60/330); dissolvable products, 71.1% discharged (n = 488/686), 21.8% re-presented (n = 106/486); cautery only, 89.2% discharged (n = 247/277), 20.0% re-presented (n = 49/245); and no intranasal intervention, 85.5% discharged (n = 200/234), 15.2% re-presented (n = 30/198). Univariable logistic regression showed that not being packed by ED, antiplatelet medications, failed cautery and recent epistaxis treatment were significant predictors of re-presentation within 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: Management of acute epistaxis was notably affected during the initial peak of the pandemic, with a shift towards reduced admissions. This national audit highlights that many patients who may previously have been admitted to hospital may be safely discharged from the ED following acute epistaxis.

Objective: To determine the frequency of adherence of laparoscopic appendectomy operative notes with the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) guidelines at the tertiary care centre. Study Design: A clinical audit report. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between January and June 2018. METHODOLOGY Operative notes of laparoscopic appendectomy, written by residents of general surgery from trainee levels R1 to R5 during the study period, were included in the study. Each component from RCS guidelines, was assessed. The response to every question in proforma was marked either as Y=Yes or N=No. Overall score of more than 70% was chosen arbitrarily as a qualifying standard for an adequate operative note. Data were analysed by using SPSS (version 21). A p-value of

Background Hospital pharmacy audit and feedback of 'do not use' medication abbreviations improves patient safety. For audit and feedback systems to be effective, the data captured must be of high quality such that end-users trust the information to guide practice change. The quality of data captured during monthly standardized pharmacy 'do not use' abbreviation audits is currently unknown. Objective We aimed to assess pharmacy 'do not use' abbreviation audit data quality. Method Primary audit data quality was assessed by examining a random sample of handwritten medication prescriptions for the presence and type of 'do not use' abbreviations. This data was compared with the pharmacy monthly audit data to determine data capture agreement and consistency over time. Results There were 1132 prescriptions from July, October, and December 2019 included. Data capture agreement between the pharmacy audit and the secondary assessment using Cohen's Kappa ranged from 0.53 to 0.63. The primary audit under-reported 'do not use' abbreviation rates, however this did not vary over time (χ2 = 1.215, p = 0.545). Conclusion Pharmacy staff audits under-reported 'do not use' abbreviation rates, however this was consistent over time. The quality of pharmacy audits should be assessed and disseminated to end-users prior to implementing feedback.

Inadequate medical documentation has been associated with a higher rate of adverse events and may have medicolegal consequences. An accurate admission note is critical as it is frequently referred to during inpatient stay, particularly when the patient is acutely unwell and during handover of care. We set out to implement a surgical admission proforma and evaluate its impact on the quality of acute surgical admission notes. A standardised, structured admission proforma for use with all emergency general surgery patients in a busy model 3 hospital was designed and implemented. Previously, all admission notes were performed freehand. The quality and completeness of admission notes was evaluated both before and after implementation of the proforma over two separate 4-week periods by assessing documentation across 19 criteria. Two hundred and fifty-one admission notes before proforma implementation and 273 admission notes after implementation were assessed. Proforma uptake was 97%. Documentation improved in all 19 criteria, with statistical significance achieved in 17 of these. These include past medical history, medication lists, allergy status, physical examination findings, blood results, vital signs and management plan. The proforma showed evidence of improved communication with both nursing staff and senior colleagues. The surgical admission proforma has significantly improved the quality and completeness of admission documentation, ensuring improved patient safety and efficiency of care. Structured admission proformas have a positive impact on patient outcomes, doctors’ performance, hospital efficiency, communication and audit quality control, thus providing multiple clear benefits in comparison to freehand admission notes.

Objective In view of changing landscape of surgical treatment for LUTS secondary to BPE, this audit was undertaken to assess key aspects of the processes and outcomes of the current interventional treatments for BPE, across different units in the UK. Materials and method A multi-institutional snapshot audit was conducted for patients undergoing interventions for LUTS/BPE over 8-week period. Using Delphi process two-part proforma was designed to capture data. Results 529 patients were included across 20 NHS trusts in England and Wales. Median age was 73 years. Indications for surgery were acute retention (47%) and LUTS (45%). 80% of patients had prior medical therapy. TURP formed the commonest procedure. 27% patients had Conclusion Monopolar TURP still remains the commonest intervention for BPE. Most departments are adopting newer technologies. The audit identified opportunities for development of consistent, effective and patient centric practices as well as need for large-scale focused studies.

BACKGROUND Transfusion of red blood cells (RBC) is a common procedure, which when prescribed inappropriately can result in adverse patient outcomes. This study sought to determine the impact of a multi-faceted intervention on unnecessary RBC transfusions at hospitals with a baseline appropriateness below 90%. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A prospective medical chart audit of RBC transfusions was conducted across 15 hospitals. For each site, 10 RBCs per month transfused to inpatients were audited for a 5-month pre- and 10-month post-intervention period, with each transfusion adjudicated for appropriateness based on pre-set criteria. Hospitals with appropriateness rates below 90% underwent a 3-month intervention which included: adoption of standardized RBC guidelines, staff education, and prospective transfusion order screening by blood bank technologists. Proportions of RBC transfusions adjudicated as appropriate and the total number of RBC units transfused per month in the pre- and post-intervention period were examined. RESULTS Over the 15-month audit period, at the 13 hospital sites with a baseline appropriateness below 90%, 1950 patients were audited of which 81.2% were adjudicated as appropriate. Proportions of appropriateness and single-unit orders increased from 73.5% to 85% and 46.2% to 68.2%, respectively from pre- to post-intervention (P

Calcium is an essential element for human health, with key roles in the prevention and therapy of multifactorial conditions. Calcium dietary intake is often insufficient in the general population. The aim of this study was to perform a clinical audit for general practitioners (GPs) to understand the efficacy of training intervention on doctors' awareness about dietary calcium and supplements.General practice outpatients were enrolled (Before Clinical Audit, BCA) from the same sanitary district, and calcium dietary intake was evaluated with a validated questionnaire, also collecting information about the consumption of calcium and vitamin D supplements. Then, a training intervention with a frontal lesson and discussion with GPs involved was performed. After one month of this intervention, a second outpatient enrolment was performed (Post Clinical Audit, PCA) in the same general practices to evaluate differences in nutritional suggestions and supplement prescription by GPs. In BCA, the calcium dietary intake was low, with nobody reaching 1000 mg as suggested by the guidelines. Only 6.6% and 24.5% took calcium and vitamin D supplements, respectively; in the PCA, these percentages increased to 28% and 78% for calcium and vitamin D supplements, respectively (p 0.01 PCA vs BCA). There were no differences in calcium dietary intake between BCA and PCA.Training intervention on GPs was successful to sensitize them regarding calcium intake problems; GPs tended to increase the prescription of supplements but not to suggest changes in dietary habits.

Introduction There is little consensus of quality measurements for restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis(RPC-IPAA) performed for ulcerative colitis(UC). The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program(NSQIP) cannot accurately classify RPC-IPAA staged approaches. We formed an IBD-surgery registry that added IBD-specific variables to NSQIP to study these staged approaches in greater detail. Methods We queried our validated database of IBD surgeries across 11 sites in the US from March 2017 to March 2019, containing general NSQIP and IBD-specific perioperative variables. We classified cases into delayed versus immediate pouch construction and looked for independent predictors of pouch delay and postoperative Clavien-Dindo complication severity. Results 430 patients received index surgery or completed pouches. Among completed pouches, 46(28%) and 118(72%) were immediate and delayed pouches, respectively. Significant predictors for delayed pouch surgery included higher UC surgery volume(p = 0.01) and absence of colonic dysplasia(p = 0.04). Delayed pouch formation did not significantly predict complication severity. Conclusions Our data allows improved classification of complex operations. Curating disease-specific variables allows for better analysis of predictors of delayed versus immediate pouch construction and postoperative complication severity. Short summary We applied our previously validated novel NSIP-IBD database for classifying complex, multi-stage surgical approaches for UC to a degree that was not possible prior to our collaborative effort. From this, we describe predictive factors for delayed pouch formation in UC RPC-IPAA with the largest multicenter effort to date.

Background Rapid Diagnostic Clinics (RDC) are being expanded nationally by NHS England. Guy’s RDC established a pathway for GPs and internal referrals for patients with symptoms concerning for malignancy not suitable for a site-specific 2WW referral. However, little data assessing the effectiveness of RDC models are available in an English population. Methods We evaluated all patients referred to Guy’s RDC between December 2016 and June 2019 (n = 1341) to assess the rate of cancer diagnoses, frequency of benign conditions and effectiveness of the service. Results There were 96 new cancer diagnoses (7.2%): lung (16%), haematological (13%) and colorectal (12%)—with stage IV being most frequent (40%). Median time to definitive cancer diagnosis was 28 days (IQR 15–47) and treatment 56 days (IQR 32–84). In all, 75% were suitable for treatment: surgery (26%), systemic (24%) and radiotherapy (14%). Over 180 serious non-neoplastic conditions were diagnosed (35.8%) of patients with no significant findings in two-third of patients (57.0%). Conclusions RDCs provide GPs with a streamlined pathway for patients with complex non-site-specific symptoms that can be challenging for primary care. The 7% rate of cancer diagnosis exceeds many 2WW pathways and a third of patients presented with significant non-cancer diagnoses, which justifies the need for rapid diagnostics. Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs) are being rolled out nationally by NHS England and NHS Improvement as part of the NHS long-term plan. The aim is for a primary care referral pathway that streamlines diagnostics, patient journey, clinical outcomes and patient experience. This pilot study of 1341 patients provides an in-depth analysis of the largest single RDC in England. Cancer was diagnosed in 7% of patients and serious non-cancer conditions in 36%—justifying the RDC approach in vague symptom patients.

Objectives Acceptance of prospective audit and feedback antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) recommendations has been shown to vary, but the drivers of recommendation acceptance are not well understood. We sought to identify the factors associated with recommendation acceptance at a large community teaching hospital. Methods Data from an ASP recommendation registry were collected from 2010 to 2018. Variables included data about the infection, the prescriber, and the recommendation, categorized by whether they increase, decrease, or are neutral to antibiotic exposure. The primary outcome was acceptance of ASP recommendations. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression models with random intercepts in order to account for clustering by prescriber. Results Over the 8-year period, a total of 11 014 evaluable recommendations were made to 146 prescribers, and 9058 (82.2%) were accepted. The most common recommendations were: reduce duration (n = 2796; 25%), stop antibiotics (n = 2184; 20%), de-escalate (n = 1876; 17%) and increase duration (n = 1176; 11%). Acceptance by service ranged from 70% (n = 843/1196) (surgery) to 86% (n = 6378/7444) (general medicine). In the multivariable analysis, compared to recommendations that have a neutral impact on antibiotic exposure, recommendations to decrease antibiotic exposure had lower odds of acceptance (aOR 0.73; 95%CI 0.64–0.84) while recommendations to increase exposure were associated with greater acceptance (aOR 2.00; 95%CI 1.62–2.45). Other factors associated with increased acceptance included the presence of the ASP physician during rounds and making the recommendation verbally. Conclusions Recommendations to decrease antibiotic exposure had lower odds of acceptance than those to increase antibiotic exposure. This study presents important considerations for ASPs with prospective audit and feedback programmes aiming to evaluate and increase the impact of their recommendations.

Background Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridaemia, low HDL cholesterol, hyperglycaemia and hypertension. Early identification of MetS is important for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). MetS has not been systematically explored in Greek primary care. Objectives To examine MetS frequency among primary care patients 40 years of age or older in Crete. Methods A descriptive study was conducted (July–December 2015). General practitioners, randomly selected from regional physician listings, recruited consecutive patients, 40 years of age or older, visiting their practice. Chart audits were completed for eligible patients using medical records, including demographics and cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus). MetS was defined using the revised NCEP ATP III criteria. Frequencies with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Gender differences were explored using Chi-square and Mann–Whitney tests. Results Our sample consisted of 815 patients (55.7% female; mean age 65.2 years; range 40–98 years) from 44 GP practices. Overall, 73.6% (95% CI 70.4, 76.6) were identified with MetS, with a higher proportion of males (75.6%; 95% CI 71.0, 79.8) than females (72.0%; 95% CI 67.8, 76.0). Among the total sample, relatively high rates of hypertension (males: 64.5%; 95% CI 59.9, 70.0 and females: 61.1%; 95% CI 56.8, 65.8), dyslipidaemia (males: 69.3%; 95% CI 64.3, 74.1 and females: 63.5%; 95% CI 59.3, 68.0), diabetes mellitus (males: 46.9%; 95% CI 42.2, 52.4 and females: 36.5%; 95% CI 32.5, 41.6) and coronary heart disease (males: 21.2%; 95% CI 17.0, 25.2 and females: 6.2%; 95% CI 4.2, 8.6) were documented. Conclusion MetS and CVD risk factors were encountered at high frequencies in the studied population of primary care patients in Crete.

Highlights • Virtual clinics improved adherence to the BOAST COVID-19 guidelines. • An early consultant opinion reduces face to face clinic appointments, rationing resources, improving efficiency and clinical safety. • Virtually assessing the 26 patients who were incorrectly initially seen face-to face would have saved 22 appointments and 13 Xray attendances. • Triaging all patients through virtual clinic improved compliance to the BOAST COVID-19 guidelines to 99%., COVID-19 has had profound management implications for orthopaedic management due to balancing patient outcomes with clinical safety and limited resources. The BOAST guidelines on outpatient orthopaedic fracture management took a pragmatic approach. At Great Western Hospital, Swindon, a closed loop audit was performed looking at a selection of these guidelines, to assess if our initial changes were sufficient and what could be improved. Method: An audit was designed around fracture immobilisation, type of initial fracture clinic assessment, default virtual follow up clinic and late imaging. Interventions were implemented and re-audited. Results: Initially 223 patients were identified over 4 weeks. Of these, 100% had removable casts and 99% did not have late imaging. 96% of patients were initially assessed virtually or had initial orthopaedic approval to be seen in face to face clinic. 97% had virtual follow up or had documented reasons why not. The 26 patients who were initially seen face to face were put through a simulated virtual fracture clinic. 22 appointments and 13 Xray attendances could have been avoided. We implemented a change of requiring all patients to be assessed at consultant level before having a face to face appointment. The re-audit showed over 99% achievement in all areas. Conclusion: Virtual fracture clinics, both triaging new patients and follow-up clinics have dramatically changed our outpatient management, helping the most appropriate patients to be seen face to face. Despite their limitations, they have been well tolerated by patients and improved patient safety and treatment.

One of the most valued targets in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is for physicians to provide and patients to receive a high-level quality of care. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of a nationwide quality certification programme for IBD units.Identification of quality indicators (QI) for IBD Unit certification was based on Delphi methodology that selected 53 QI, which were subjected to a normalisation process. Selected QI were then used in the certification process. Coordinated by GETECCU, this process began with a consulting round and an audit drill followed by a formal audit carried out by an independent certifying agency. This audit involved the scrutiny of the selected QI in medical records. If 80%-90% compliance was achieved, the IBD unit audited received the qualification of "advanced", and if it exceeded 90% the rating was "excellence". Afterwards, an anonymous survey was conducted among certified units to assess satisfaction with the programme for IBD units.As of January 2021, 66 IBD units adhere to the nationwide certification programme. Among the 53 units already audited by January 2021, 31 achieved the certification of excellence, 20 the advanced certification, and two did not obtain the certification. The main survey results indicated high satisfaction with an average score of 8.5 out of 10.Certification of inflammatory bowel disease units by GETECCU is the largest nationwide certification programme for IBD units reported. More than 90% of IBD units adhered to the programme achieved the certification.

Parent engagement in perinatal mortality review meetings following stillbirth may benefit parents and improve patient safety. We investigated perinatal mortality review meeting practices, including the extent of parent engagement, based on self-reports from health care professionals from maternity care facilities in six high income countries. Cross-sectional online survey Setting Australia; New Zealand; United Kingdom; Ireland; United States; and Canada. Population A total of 1,104 health care professionals, comprising mainly obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives and nurses. Data were drawn from responses to a survey covering stillbirth-related topics. Open- and closed-items that focused on "Data quality on causes of stillbirth" were analysed. Main Outcome Measures Health care professionals' self-reported practices around perinatal mortality review meetings following stillbirth. Most clinicians (81.0%) were aware of regular audit meetings to review stillbirth at their maternity facility, although this was true for only 35.5% of US respondents. For 854 respondents whose facility held regular meetings, less than a third (31.1%) reported some form of parent engagement, although this was usually as one-way post-meeting feedback. Across all six countries, only 17.1% of respondents described an explicit approach where parents provided input, received feedback and were represented at meetings. We found no established practice of involving parents in the perinatal mortality review process in six high income countries. Parent engagement may hold the key to important lessons for stillbirth prevention and care. Further understanding of approaches, barriers and enablers is warranted. Funding Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, provided infrastructure and funding to enable this work to be undertaken.

Objectives We aimed to estimate what proportion of people with SLE attending UK rheumatology clinics would be categorized as being at high risk from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and therefore asked to shield, and explore what implications this has for rheumatology clinical practice. Methods We used data from the British Society for Rheumatology multicentre audit of SLE, which included a large, representative cross-sectional sample of patients attending UK Rheumatology clinics with SLE. We calculated who would receive shielding advice using the British Society for Rheumatology’s risk stratification guidance and accompanying scoring grid, and assessed whether ethnicity and history of nephritis were over-represented in the shielding group. Results The audit included 1003 patients from 51 centres across all 4 nations of the UK. Overall 344 (34.3%) patients had a shielding score ≥3 and would have been advised to shield. People with previous or current LN were 2.6 (1.9–3.4) times more likely to be in the shielding group than people with no previous LN (P Conclusion Our study demonstrates the large number of people with SLE who are likely to be shielding. Implications for clinical practice include considering communication across language and cultural differences, and ways to conduct renal assessment including urinalysis, during telephone and video consultations for patients who are shielding.

The objective is to improve and standardise HIV care for people with well-controlled HIV across the region by comparing monitoring within services to UK audit standards. This was a retrospective case note review from 01.01.2018 to 31.12.2018. The standards were sourced from the British HIV Association (BHIVA), the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH). Six services took part with 228 patient records being audited. Two of the 5 national standards were met (blood pressure and medication review). From the 8 areas previously audited in 2014, 6 showed improvements (offer of STI screen, medication review, urinalysis, mental health screen and influenza vaccination documentation). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and transmission risk had poorer documented outcomes. In addition, nearly one-third of patients were over-tested regarding their CD4 count. We recommend that letters should include a standard message about U = U (undetectable = untransmittable) and vaccinations; CVD risk and FRAX should be calculated once a year in place of a routine letter; an annual summary letter should be written in place of a letter after each clinic visit; and consistent use of a proforma, with BHIVA/BASHH/FSRH recommendations on monitoring included.

In the UK, doctors are instructed to keep accurate and clear medical records. This helps to ensure patient safety and is a professional expectation from the General Medical Council (GMC). However, operation note documentation is often reported to be sub-optimal despite general guidelines from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSeng) existing. These guidelines have sub-domains, e.g. estimated blood loss, which can inform the understanding of an intra-operative complication to help guide post-operative management. We conducted a closed loop audit of operative notes against these guidelines to ascertain if neurosurgeons in our department thought them applicable to neurosurgical practice. The first cycle was conducted retrospectively and the second cycle prospectively each conducted over a four-week period. In between each cycle the results were presented to the department: firstly, as an oral presentation and secondly as posters displayed in relevant clinical areas. Furthermore, the knowledge of operative note guidelines and their perceived importance by registrars were ascertained through a questionnaire. This highlighted that RCSeng sub-domains missing from operation notes scored lowest in terms of importance, and one sub-domain that remained recorded less frequently in both cycles was estimated blood loss. This reflects closed loop audits in general, plastic and orthopaedic surgery. Clearly, a generic guideline cannot be completely applicable to neurosurgical practice. This then begs the question if such a guideline is useful at all. Or should guidelines be specialty specific, as is the case in orthopaedic surgery, to improve compliance to a guideline more reflective of neurosurgical practice.

Background and aim Endoscopist directed nurse administered propofol sedation (EDNAPS) is widely considered to be safe and efficient, but there are limited data from the Australian health-care setting, and Australian sedation guidelines do not support the practice. Thus, we report data from a prospective audit of EDNAPS over a 6.5-year period in an Australian referral hospital. Methods Consecutive endoscopic procedures performed between January 2013 and June 2019. Sedation protocol was an initial dose of midazolam 1-3 mg intravenously (i.v.) and propofol 10-50 mg i.v.. Further aliquots of propofol 10-30 mg i.v. were given as required. ProvationMD® endoscopic reporting system was used to prospectively record patient demographics, medication and dose, American Society of Anesthesiologist's (ASA) class, and sedation-related complications. Results During the 78-month period, 28 051 eligible procedures were performed; 3093 procedures performed with anesthetic support or without EDNAPS were excluded. In total, 24 958 procedures with EDNAPS were analyzed including 7563 gastroscopies, 12 941 colonoscopies, 2932 gastroscopy and colonoscopy, 1440 flexible sigmoidoscopies, and 82 combined gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy. Of these, 9539 were ASA 1 (38.2%), 13 680 were ASA 2 (54.8%), 1733 were ASA 3 (6.9%), and 4 were ASA 4 (0.02%). Sedation-related complications occurred in 66 patients (0.26%), predominantly transient hypoxic episodes. No patient required intubation for an airway emergency, and there was no sedation-related mortality. Sedation-related complications increased with ASA class and were significantly more common with gastroscopy. Conclusions Endoscopist directed nurse administered propofol sedation is a safe way of performing endoscopic sedation in low-risk patients in the hospital setting.

Background A clinical audit measures specific clinical outcomes or processes against a predefined standard. However, many clinicians are unable to carry out audits given their time constraints. Alternatively, medical students may often wish to complete audits early in their career to strengthen their portfolios. As such, the student clinical audit platform was designed to connect willing supervisors and these medical students. Methods Project supervisors were members of a regional trainee-led network. Interested students were familiarised with the various aspects of an audit and allocated to supervisors with similar interests. There was regular communication to track progress and anonymised feedback forms were distributed to all students and supervisors after a year. Results A total of 17 responses were received from the 19 students who were involved in a project. Based on a 5-point Likert scale, students displayed a mean improvement in their understanding of a clinical audit (1.18±1.07, p Conclusion Despite limitations to this programme, the platform produced projects which were disseminated both locally and nationally, demonstrating positive collaboration between medical students and clinicians. We present our findings and evaluations to encourage similar audit platforms to be adopted at other locations.

BACKGROUND: Increasing demand for surgeon accountability requires regular audit of individual and institutional performances. Electronic record systems proclaim efficient audit systems, but how does Medisoft live up to the hype? We present our experiences and examine how well Medisoft’s audit suite meets clinical audit needs. METHODS: Medisoft audit suite was used to audit all ptosis procedures undertaken during 2010–14 in Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Repeat audit identified all ptosis procedures done in the trust since Medisoft was introduced; these data were cross-referenced to determine true re-operation rates. RESULTS: 350 operations were performed on 304 patients over 427 eyes in 5 years. 40 of 304 patients (13%) have thus far required more than one operation on at least one eye. Cross-referencing the data revealed that 11 of these patients’ audit-period operations were re-operations, and 18 patients were re-operated after the audit period. In total 26/40 patients (65%) would have been missed if the data had not been cross-referenced. 17 patients had post-operative complications recorded, 7 of whom had repeat surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Medisoft supports high volume audits, reducing overall workload and increasing efficiency. However, consistent use across clinical staff is necessary to ensure all data are recorded and available for audit. When assessing re-operation rates, search parameters must be widened and cross-referenced to prevent missing vital information regarding procedures performed outside of the audit window. This could be eliminated in future if Medisoft made small changes to input of data that highlights repeat operations and their indications.

Background: Both from a medical and legal point of view, the quality of operative notes are important. in this study we hypothesized that the quality of operation notes could be improved by audit, education session and using a proforma. Methods: A total of 150 operation notes were audited for compliance with the Royal College of Surgeons guidelines. Results were announced in -clinic training session and guidelines were dis- cussed. An aide-memoire containing guideline parameters placed in the operating theaters. After eight months, operation reports were re -audited on an equal number of patients. An operative note proforma was developed and third audit was carried out. the results of each audit were compared. Results: in the first audit, it was found that fourteen parameters were written with more than 90% accuracy. the first audit revealed seven poor areas in documentation: time of operation (0%), identification of emergency/elective procedure (0%), identification of any prosthesis or devices used (65.3%), details of closure technique (36.6%), name of anesthesiologist (0%), pa- tient position (1.3%), and amount of bleeding (0%). in the second audit there was an incom- plete, but significant improvement in these seven parameters (28%, 28.6%, 82%, 75.3%, 31.3%, 32%, and 34% respectively). Following introduction of the proforma; third audit cycle demonstrated a clear improvement in operation note documentation with at least 80% compli- ance in all parameters. Conclusion: This study revealed that the accuracy of the operating room documents can be improved through audits, education of surgeon and using proformas. the use of proforma pro- vides much better results. (C) 2019 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Publishing services by Elsevier B. V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC- ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Electrodiagnostic testing for polyneuropathies is a large part of the diagnostic workup in all electrodiagnostic laboratories. Guidelines on examination and diagnostic strategies and classification of polyneuropathies are crucial for standardization of electrodiagnostic testing and best clinical practice. Several guidelines have been suggested on pathophysiological classification, particularly for the definition of inflammatory neuropathies, whereas for axonal polyneuropathies, the literature is sparse. Similarly, there are a few recommendations on examination and diagnostic strategies. This review will cover the existing guidelines on electrodiagnostic testing of large fiber polyneuropathies including examination and diagnostic strategies and pathophysiological classification. In addition, the diagnostic criteria for Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, multifocal motor neuropathy, and hereditary neuropathies are summarized.

Immediate implant-based breast reconstruction (IBR) rates have increased considerably with the advent of acellular dermal matrices. Implant loss is a significant complication and is costly to patients and the NHS. National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit and Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction Audit data have demonstrated national implant loss rate of 9% at 3 months. National Oncoplastic Guidelines for Best Practice cite a 5% target. We aimed to reduce implant loss by introducing a protocol with pre-, intra- and post-operative interventions.Audit of IBR at a single oncoplastic breast unit was commenced and implant loss at 3 months was recorded (May 2012-July 2014). Patients were identified from a prospectively maintained database, and case notes were examined by identifying factors associated with implant loss. A team involving microbiology, theatre staff, infection control and surgeons was established. A novel, evidence-based intervention bundle, including more than 25 protocol changes, was introduced. Prospective re-audit of IBR (April 2015-December 2017) was completed following introduction of the new protocol and implant loss was recorded at 3 months.The first retrospective audit of 77 reconstructions (54 patients) demonstrated 11 implant losses at 3 months (14%). Re-audit, post-intervention, comprised 129 reconstructions (106 patients) with no implant loss at 3 months. Fisher's exact analysis revealed statistically significant reduction in implant loss rate (P 0.00001) following protocol introduction.Implant loss rate following IBR can be reduced to an exceptionally low level, well below national targets, by adhering to this evidence-based intervention bundle. Our protocol could improve outcomes nationally.