1273 The Introduction of Digital Care Records Improves the Completion of Consent Forms

Abstract Aim Ensuring the consent process is thorough and well documented is crucial in surgical care. A good marker for this is the accurate completion of consent forms. This audit aimed to assess completion rates of paper consent forms and then re-audit after the much-anticipated introduction of Encompass in Northern Ireland in November 2023. Encompass is a healthcare system widely used in the USA which provides a completely digital record for every patient. Our trust was the first to introduce the new system, which will be completely rolled out in Northern Ireland in the next 2 years. Method Completion of 30 consent forms was audited pre-Encompass (paper consent forms) and following implementation (online forms signed with a tablet). Information audited included patient details, responsible consultant, name of procedure, site listed (if appropriate), explanation, complications, leaflet given, anaesthetic type, consenter signature, legibility, patient signature and date and whether copy was given to patient. Results The completion of introduction of online consent forms improved the completion rates in nearly every parameter. However, the most poorly completed parameters on both paper and electronic consent forms were if information leaflet and copy of consent form was given to patient. Conclusions The digital platform allows the automatic population of forms with several of the parameters, improving efficiency and accuracy. A complication list can be added easily using one of the pre-completed lists for common Urology procedures (taken from BAUS patient leaflets). In the future consent forms will automatically be sent to the patient, which will improve digital consenting further.