All Journals from Charlotte Masterton-Smith
Abstract
Background: Benchmarking is important to improve quality of care.
Aim: To audit the performance of Acute Medical Units (AMUs) against the clinical quality indicators published by the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM).
Methods: 24-hour data collection on the 20th of June 2013 with follow-up data at 72 hours.
Results: 43 units submitted data on 1425 patients. 76% of patients had early warning scores recorded within 30 minutes of admission, 95% of patients had been seen by a competent decision maker within four hours. 79% of patients were seen by a consultant physicians within the appropriate period of time.
Conclusion: The difference in compliance with quality standards between UK units opens opportunities for learning. The reasons why some units perform better than others require further investigation.
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Acute Internal Medicine (AIM) may be the ‘new kid on the block’ as a medical specialty but it lies at the heart of our health service. Recognition of the importance of early senior review in managing medical patients admitted to hospital in an emergency has led to a dramatic expansion in the number of consultant posts being created in acute medical units across the UK. This has been matched by a similar rise in the number of higher speciality training positions, with over 100 posts being advertised every year. Although the majority of these posts have been filled, this expansion, combined with a relative lack of awareness of the speciality, has meant that vacancies remain in many Deaneries. This needs to be addressed in order for the speciality to continue to expand, and deliver high quality, consultant-led acute medical care in every hospital in the UK.
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