Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries

Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries

High quality discharge information communication has been linked to a reduction in the incidence of adverse events, decreasing the risk of prescription errors and lost follow up. In this paper we describe how our trust-wide quality improvement project, led by acute physicians, successfully improved discharge documentation. We demonstrate how we identified obstacles to continued success, and the interventions we implemented. We recommend how discharge summary quality can be optimised through training of junior doctors, recruitment of local champions, and use of novel methods to preserve engagement, such as gamification.

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Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries

27th November 2022
PMID: 36427212
Authors Affiliations
Joshua Strange BSc(Hons), MB ChB(Hons); ACCS CT1; Salford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance
Zara Ali BA (Hons) MB BChir; FY2; Salford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance, Stott Lane, Salford M6 8HD
Mark Holland Consultant Acute Physician Salford Royal Hospital and Visiting Professor Health and Social Care, University of Bolton
Olivier Gaillemin MB ChB, PGDip, MRCP; Consultant Physician in Acute Medicine, Salford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance

Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries

Cite this article as:

Strange J, Ali Z, Holland M, Gaillemin O. Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries. Acute Med. 2022;21(3):139-145. doi: 10.52964/AMJA.0913. PMID: 36427212.

Improving and Sustaining the Quality of Discharge Summaries

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