Missing Clinical Information in NHS Hospital Outpatient Clinics
Author Information
Author(s): Burnett Susan J, Deelchand Vashist, Franklin Bryony Dean, Moorthy Krishna, Vincent Charles
Primary Institution: Imperial College London
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence, nature, and impact of missing clinical information in NHS hospital outpatient appointments?
Conclusion
The study found that 15% of outpatient consultations had missing clinical information, which can lead to delays and risks to patient care.
Supporting Evidence
- 15% of outpatient consultations had missing clinical information.
- 32% of patients with missing information experienced delays in care.
- 20% of patients faced a risk of harm due to missing information.
Takeaway
Sometimes doctors don't have all the information they need when seeing patients, which can cause delays and even put patients at risk.
Methodology
Prospective descriptive study with data collected by surgeons and interviews conducted to explore causes of missing information.
Potential Biases
Potential bias if clinicians exaggerated problems due to frustration with the system.
Limitations
Data collection relied on busy doctors, which may lead to under-reporting and subjective assessments of risk.
Participant Demographics
Patients attending outpatient clinics in three large teaching hospitals in the UK.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
13% to 17.1%
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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