Survive On Call - A QI Project to Improve Access to Hospital Clinical Guidelines

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Clinical Practice Improvement
• Digital Health

Background:

• Junior doctors face significant time delays accessing clinical guidelines and telephone numbers on desktop computers, especially during busy shifts.
• Limited availability of fixed desktop computers in clinical areas further exacerbates access challenges.
• Smartphones offer a potential solution for instant, bedside access to vital medical information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a clinical smartphone application designed to improve junior doctors' access to clinical and hospital-specific information.
• To quantify the time saved by junior doctors using the smartphone app compared to traditional desktop computer access for guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A clinical smartphone app was developed by a trainee doctor.
• Ten junior doctors participated in a study comparing time to access common guidelines (Hypokalaemia, Amiodarone) via the app versus desktop computers.
• User feedback on time savings and satisfaction was collected post-app release.

Main Results:

• Accessing the Hypokalaemia guideline took an average of 12.4 seconds with the app versus 76.8 seconds with a computer (p < 0.001).
• Accessing the Amiodarone guideline took an average of 25.9 seconds with the app versus 142.0 seconds with a computer (p < 0.001).
• 96.1% of users reported the app saved them time, with 42.31% feeling it saved them significant time daily.

Conclusions:

• The developed clinical smartphone app significantly reduces information retrieval time for junior doctors.
• The app enhances staff satisfaction and perceived working efficiency by providing rapid access to clinical guidelines.
• Further research is recommended in time-critical specialties like Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine to assess the impact on patient safety and outcomes.