Advice given to patients with epistaxis by A&E doctors

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Clinical Practice Improvement

Background:

• Epistaxis (nosebleeds) is a common reason for A&E visits.
• Current A&E practices for advising epistaxis patients on discharge vary.
• The impact of discharge advice on epistaxis re-attendance rates is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the proportion of epistaxis patients receiving verbal/written advice upon A&E discharge.
• To assess the effect of this advice on patient re-attendance rates.
• To improve A&E management protocols for epistaxis.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire surveyed A&E doctors' current practices for advising epistaxis patients.
• A case note audit evaluated advice content and format for discharged epistaxis patients.
• A targeted educational intervention (presentation and leaflets) was implemented.
• Case notes were re-audited post-intervention to assess changes.

Main Results:

• Provision of verbal advice increased from 19% to 61%.
• Provision of written advice increased from 2% to 54%.
• Re-attendance rates among patients previously seen in A&E decreased by 9% post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Adequate verbal and written discharge advice for epistaxis patients is crucial.
• Effective advice provision can significantly reduce A&E re-attendance.
• Standardizing epistaxis discharge advice improves patient outcomes and resource management.