Quality of telephone-based cancer symptom management by nurses: a quality improvement project

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 841-849
Author(s):  
Dawn Stacey ◽  
Claire Ludwig ◽  
Lynne Jolicoeur ◽  
Meg Carley ◽  
Katelyn Balchin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Symptom Management ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Cancer Symptom Management

scholarly journals Assessing the practice of written referrals to neuroradiology and how this process can be improved and standardised

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S181-S182
Author(s):  
Fraser Currie ◽  
Rashi Negi ◽  
Hari Shanmugaratnam
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Quality Improvement Initiative ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Improvement Project

AimsThis quality improvement project aims to improve the quality of information provided in the referrals from the older adult psychiatry department to radiology when requesting neuroradiological imaging.The secondary outcome aims to standardise information on the referral proforma. We hypothesise that this improved referral proforma will lead to improved quality of reporting from the radiology department, which will form the second stage of this quality improvement project.A further area of interest of this exercise is to establish whether standardised radiological scoring systems are requested in the referral, as these can be utilised as a means to standardise reported information.MethodRetrospective electronic case analysis was performed on 50 consecutive radiology referrals for a period of 3 months from November 2019 to January 2020. Data were obtained from generic MRI and CT referral proforma and entered into a specifically designed data collection tool. Recorded were patient demographics, provisional diagnosis, modality of imaging, use of ACE-III cognitive score, radiological scoring systems, and inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultResults from 50 referrals have shown: 60% were male, 40% female. Average patient age of 74, ranging from 49 to 95. 58% were referred for CT head with 42% for MRI head. More than half of referrals quoted the ACE-III score. 26% of referrals stated exclusion criteria such as space occupying lesions, haemorrhages or infarcts. 10% of referrals requested specific neuro-radiological scoring scales. Specific scales which were requested included GCA (global cortical atrophy), MTA scale (medial temporal atrophy), Koedam scale (evidence of parietal atrophy) and Fazekas (evidence of vascular changes). Only 80% of referrals included the patients GP details on the referral form.Conclusion1. This quality improvement initiative has highlighted that the current level of information in referring patient to radiology is variable and dependent on the referrer.2. All referrals should state exclusion criteria as per the NICE guidelines on neuroimaging in diagnosis of dementia.3. Preliminary evidence suggests that requesting specific radiological rating scales could improve the quality of information received in the imaging report. The second part of this quality improvement initiative will aim to explore the impact of requesting these scales routinely.

scholarly journals 55 Quality Improvement Project to Assess How Informed Patients are About do not Attempt Cardiopulmonary (DNACPR) Decisions?

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i14-i17
Author(s):  
P Jayasuriya ◽  
Y Amanullah ◽  
A Kumar ◽  
C Hookey
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Next Of Kin ◽  
Geriatric Ward ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Information Leaflets ◽  
Journal Clubs ◽  
Weekly Journal

Abstract Introduction Despite growing evidence regarding DNACPR decisions, there is a paucity of information given to patients regarding resuscitation decisions. The main aim of this quality improvement project was to assess and improve patients’ and their relatives’ understanding about DNACPR decisions. Intervention We initially surveyed 30 inpatients or their next-of-kin (if the patient lacked capacity) in a geriatric ward who had DNACPR decisions in place. Although, 86% knew the implications of a DNACPR decision, only 50% knew that a DNACPR decision would not limit them from receiving other treatment. 66% reported that the information given by the healthcare professional is “too little”. 35 questionnaires were also given to doctors of all grades to assess their practice of DNACPR discussions and barriers for discussion. Majority (95%) of doctors knew what should be included in a DNACPR discussion. Medical staff not considering DNACPR discussions during assessment, medical staff not comfortable to make the DNACPR decision and the fear of distressing the patient are the three main issues that were highlighted as barriers. 17% of doctors reported that they would have attended a cardiac arrest at least on 2-5 occasions for a patient when resuscitation was futile. We presented this data and educated doctors on effective DNACPR discussions using video demonstrations in weekly journal clubs. All doctors were informed to distribute DNACPR Improvement After the intervention, only 80% understood the DNACPR discussion. 76% knew that DNACPR does not limit them from receiving other treatment. 73% reported that this was not stressful and 76% were satisfied with the discussion and reported that their questions were answered adequately. 11 out of 30 patients had received the information leaflets and all found it useful. Discussion Although after the intervention the percentage who understood the DNACPR decision had reduced compared to the initial audit, there was a 20% improvement in who knew that DNACPR decisions did not limit other treatment. We hope to extend this study by carrying out training sessions for doctors to improve the quality of these conversations and thereby enhance adherence to expected practice in DNACPR decision making.

scholarly journals Education and training as key drivers for improving the quality of fluid balance charts: findings from a quality improvement project

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e001137
Author(s):  
Alpha Madu ◽  
Harshini Asogan ◽  
Ajmal Raoof
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Fluid Balance ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Hydration Status ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Competency Assessments

Reviewing fluid balance charts is a simple and effective method of assessing and monitoring the hydration status of patients. Several articles report that these charts are often either inaccurately or incompletely filled thereby limiting their usefulness in clinical practice. We had a similar experience in our practice at Kettering General Hospital and conducted a quality improvement project with a goal to increase the number of charts that were completely and accurately filled by a minimum of 50% in a 1-month period and to reassess the sustainability of this improvement after 6 months. Data from baseline measurements showed that only 25% of the charts in the ward had accurate measurements, 20% had correct daily totals and 14% had complete records of all intakes and losses. We collected feedback from nursing staff in the ward on what challenges they faced in using these charts and how best to support them. Corroborated by evidence from the literature, we discovered that inadequate training was a major factor responsible for the poor quality of documentation in these charts. Using simultaneous plan–do–study–act cycles, we designed and delivered personalised teaching on fluid balance chart documentation to the nursing staff. Subsequent data showed remarkable improvements in all the parameters we assessed. For instance, the proportion of charts with accurate measurements increased by 55% and those with complete entries by 122%. Unfortunately, we were unable to demonstrate sustainability of these improvements as our second set of data collection coincided with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. In this project, we were able to demonstrate that simple and cost-efficient measures such as adequate training of nursing staff could remarkably improve the quality of fluid balance charts used in our hospitals. We suggest that this training should be included as part of the regular competency assessments for nurses and other healthcare staff.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document