E030 From analogue to digital: establishing remote digital drug education at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Abstract Background/Aims The traditional model of care in our department involved 40-minute face-to-face drug education appointments, including obtaining written consent, recognised as best practice during our British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) Quality Review Scheme assessment. This is a significant use of limited nursing resource, highly repetitive and frequently inconvenient to our patients due to our wide geographical area. Our aim was to utilise quality improvement methodology to establish digital drug education as our new standard model of care. Methods We have utilised the digital health platform CONNECTPlus. Our lead Clinical Nurse Specialist and Rheumatology Pharmacist peer reviewed all oral DMARD and biologic education videos in the CONNECTPlus library, with minor changes accepted by the platform. The first plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle was an initial pilot focused on oral DMARDs only as proof of concept. Appropriate patients were identified by clinicians and provided with a QR code and brief instructions. Patients then followed a medication education pathway and completed a digital consent form, which we can upload to our Electronic Patient Record. Face-to-face appointments were maintained during the pilot to identify issues and gain patient feedback. Results We recruited 23 patients, age range 34-73 years, of which 87% successfully completed the education pathway and consent form, with average engagement time of 27 minutes and positive feedback. This reflects one third of our oral DMARD education over the same time period. Following feedback from those who did not complete the pathway successfully, we amended the information leaflet with a step-by-step single-page guide. Following the successful pilot, we have commenced PDSA cycle 2. We are switching 40-minute face-to-face education appointments to 20-minute telephone appointments for CONNECTplus patients, effectively doubling our capacity. We have created clear guidance for clinicians (including rotating resident doctors) to ensure all relevant screening tests are completed without the need for a further face-to-face visit. The 20-minute slot allows our nurses to complete all required administrative tasks, including the prescription, within the allocated clinic time. We are also imminently moving to PDSA cycle 3 to release the biologic education pathways given high levels of staff confidence in the software. We have set a conservative estimate to educate 50% of patients digitally in the next twelve months, forecasting the release of 300 nurse appointments which would otherwise have been used for education. Conclusion Remote digital education is a viable and convenient option for patients, with a wide age range of patients participating in our pilot. The CONNECTPlus platform and video library is readily available, making this a highly scalable option for other Trusts, with the potential to release a significant amount of nursing capacity. Disclosure L. Chadwick: None. K. Russell: None. K. Putchakayala: None.