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Objectives To determine if there was any improvement in clotting profile requests after the initial audit and education. Methods A retrospective observation of all clotting profile requests sent from the Paediatric ward at the MKUH Paediatric department from February 2023 to April 2023 was compared to the same period in 2022. Results There were 72 patients in 2023 compared with 100 patients in 2022. 10 children had repeat tests in 2023 while 26 children had in 2022. In the 2022 audit, only one child was diagnosed with a bleeding disorder (haemophilia), but none in 2023. Similar presentations such as paracetamol overdose cases were the main reason for test requests. While there was a slight improvement in reducing irrelevant requests and the need for repeated testing, there was still a lack of documentation regarding bleeding issues in patients and families. Conclusion The 2022 audit was presented in the departmental meeting and teachings. To enhance educational awareness, educational posters were showcased in the paediatric emergency department, paediatric assessment unit and the paediatric ward. The latest audit (2023) results indicated a degree of improvement in the number of requests. However, it is essential to continue educating healthcare professionals to ensure that requests are made appropriately, and that patient or family bleeding history is accurately documented. Implementing such a quality improvement project has the potential of cost saving for the NHS without compromising patient safety or causing emotional distress resulting from unnecessary testing.
Neptune et al. (Tue,) studied this question.