Improving clinical handover: Development of a web-based intensive care unit consultation system with structured reply...

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Medical Communication

Background:

• Poor quality clinical handover, especially for critically ill patients, leads to adverse outcomes.
• Standardized information flow and documentation are crucial for effective patient care transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a web-based platform for generating standardized Intensive Care Unit (ICU) consultation replies.
• To improve the quality and completeness of clinical information transfer during ICU consultations.

Main Methods:

• A web-based platform was developed for generating printed ICU consultation replies and collecting data.
• Baseline data from 50 ICU consultations were collected before system implementation.
• Post-implementation data were compared to assess the platform's impact on documentation quality.

Main Results:

• Use of printed consultation replies increased from 16% to over 90%.
• Documentation of patient's premorbid activity of daily living and mobility improved from 42% and 30% to over 80%.
• Past medical history documentation increased from 74% to over 95%.

Conclusions:

• The web-based ICU consultation platform significantly enhances the quality of consultation replies and documentation.
• The system improves communication between ICU doctors and general ward staff.
• The platform serves as a valuable data resource for continuous quality improvement in ICU consultation services.