6490 The improvement of handovers on the paediatric assessment unit

Objectives To improve the recorded information for children admitted to the paediatric assessment unit (PAU) and improve handover between the team. Methods Preliminary data collection was carried out evaluating the essential information that was communicated from the doctor taking referrals to the nursing staff before arrival on the unit. The parameters used were determined after consultation with paediatric consultants and senior nursing colleagues. It included the following variables: source of referral, name, date of birth, NHS number, contact number, presenting complaint, observations, and method of arrival. This data was recorded for a period of one week. Further qualitative data was collected through questionnaires completed by all staff on the PAU to gather their opinions on the handover process. Based on the data collated, a referral form to be used when taking referrals was implemented for 6 weeks (figure 1). The quality improvement intervention was then re-audited for all admissions for a further one-week duration and follow-up questionnaires were given to all PAU staff members to evaluate any improvement achieved. Results The intervention showed an improvement in essential information recorded by an average of 28.86% across the 8 essential domains (figure 2). The qualitative survey demonstrated most members of staff found the referral form useful, however, the form was not always used by everyone. One recognised limitation of the study was that not all members of the same team took part in both surveys and that the outcomes recorded depended heavily on the team working in PAU on a given week. Conclusion This project was undertaken due to several unsafe cases referred directly to PAU and insufficient handovers, working with the primary aim of improving communication within PAU. Effective handovers lead to better patient outcomes and reduced likelihood of error.1 Collaborating with the multidisciplinary team is integral to any safe and efficient medical department.2 The proforma that was introduced in this project demonstrated a significant improvement in the essential domains that were measured, which will be more conducive to effective communication and safer handover of information. Further outcomes of the study have led us to alter the referral form further, implement the proforma across different trust sites, integrate the process with the department's move to electronic notes, and create teaching sessions aimed at taking appropriate referrals. References Good medical practice, GMC, November 2020. Melissa Desmedt, et al. International journal for quality in health care. 16th December 2020.