Intensive care discharges: improving the quality of clinical handover

"This project demonstrated how modifying system factors, such as a standardised template, could effectively modify individuals’ practices. Simple changes to the design of an intensive care discharge summary have been shown to greatly improve the quality of handover information, with the aim of improved continuity and quality of care."

Intensive care discharges: improving the quality of clinical handover through changes to discharge documentation
W Hall, P Keane, S Wang, F Debell, A Allana, P Karia
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u209711.w4036

Read more here.

Cost and risk management in critical care: reducing the use of colloids

"In the past, colloid fluid therapy was used as the primary resuscitation fluid in critically ill people. Increasing evidence ... suggests that crystalloid fluids are equivalent in effectiveness and cost considerably less. This project aimed to reduce colloid use by removing them from the clinical area and making them available by consultant prescription only."

Cost and risk management in critical care: reducing the use of colloids
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

NICE Quality and Productivity case study

November 2015

Read more here. 

Improving critical care discharge summaries

"An innovative form of enhanced capability critical care outreach called ‘iMobile’ is being provided at King’s College Hospital (KCH). Part of the remit of iMobile is to review patients who have been transferred from critical care to general wards. The iMobile team wished to improve the quality of critical care discharge summaries."

Improving critical care discharge summaries: a collaborative quality improvement project using PDSA
L Goulding et al.
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u203938.w3268

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Promoting vision and hearing aids use in an intensive care unit

"Vision and hearing impairments have long been recognised as modifiable risk factors for delirium.[1,2,3] Delirium in critically ill patients is a frequent complication (reported as high as 60% to 80% of intensive care patients), and is associated with a three-fold increase in mortality and prolonged hospital stay."

Promoting vision and hearing aids use in an intensive care unit
Q Zhou, N Faure Walker
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2015;4: doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u206276.w2702

Read more here.

Latest QIPP case studies

Evidence - QIPP has published some new QIPP case studies, including:

• Improving the quality of care for patients with type 1 diabetes through dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE)
• Cost and risk management in critical care - reducing the use of colloids 

Access the latest QIPP case studies here.