6008 Evaluation of the impact and importance of morbidity and mortality meetings in a general paediatric department at a district general hospital

Objectives The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of morbidity and mortality (M&M) meetings in a London DGH hospital and gather feedback from those who attending the meeting. This will allow us to gain further insight into the value of the meetings and learn from good practice. We also wanted to explore how M&M meetings have changed post COVID, with the majority now being held virtually. Methods A questionnaire was created which consisted of 10 questions including role, previous M&M attendance, views on the change to virtual meetings, feedback on the meetings. The questionnaire was emailed to all those invited to attend M&M meetings. It was also highlighted at the end of a meeting with a request for the survey to be completed. The results were then complied and analysed using excel. We also reviewed attendance records and number of cases discussed per meeting since 2019. Results The survey was sent to 120 people with 28 responses. The results showed that M&M meetings are extremely valued and 92% felt their clinical practice is changed as a result of attending the meetings. 92% also reported they would feel comfortable raising an issue at the meetings. When asked what people felt the purpose of M&M was and the majority (21/28) felt that understanding where things go wrong and trying to minimise risk was the main aim. We found that the 57% of respondents felt that virtual M&M meetings were better than face to face, with the positive comments mainly including better attendance. Technical difficulties and sound issues were among the negative comments. Since the meetings became virtual attendance has significantly increased, from an average of 9 in 2019 to 21 in 2021. Conclusion Morbidity and mortality meetings are essential in paediatrics for review practice in a safe, non-judgemental forum. Attendees find the meetings beneficial and a way to understand where issues lie, as well as revieing good practice. The meetings offer a forum for issues to be raised and discussed and have a positive impact on clinical practice. Since the COVID pandemic meetings have become virtual which has allowed a far greater attendance, and the feedback on this change has been positive, with the majority of people finding the meeting easier to attend.