942 Improving Communication of Driving Advice to Patients Undergoing Day-Case General Surgery

Aim Day-case emergency surgery often involves short stays in a hectic environment, with limited patient-professional interaction. However, driving after general anaesthesia, sedation, opioid use, or post-op pain poses risks. Additionally, many insurers don't cover post-surgery driving. This project aimed to improve documentation and appropriateness of driving advice for day-case surgical patients, aligning with DVLA and relevant medical guidelines. Method All non-elective general surgical admissions to Bristol Royal Infirmary were identified over 4 weeks. Patients discharged within 48 hours of admission, who underwent a procedure requiring general anaesthesia, local anaesthesia or sedation were included. A search of inpatient notes and discharge documents evaluated whether driving advice was communicated, and the appropriateness of the advice given. Following the initial audit, educational sessions were held for on-call surgical teams and posters erected by surgical workstations to guide appropriate documentation of driving advice. A re-audit took place after two months to identify improvements and barriers. Results Initial analysis of 24 patients showed one (4.2%) had advice documented on the discharge summary and one who had advice documented on the operation note. Neither were in line with current guidance. Post-intervention, 4 of 15 (26.6%) had advice documented on discharge summary, all consistent with current guidance. Results were discussed at a surgical governance meeting and barriers identified as rotating staff, busy on-call shifts and difficulty accessing specific guidance. Conclusions Although increasing awareness made small improvements, it was agreed to implement a standardised driving advice statement, available as a tick box on a mandatory section of the electronic discharge summary.