Improving interdepartmental communication following a patient death

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Communication
• Bereavement Services

Background:

• Patient deaths in emergency departments (EDs) necessitate efficient information transfer to mortuary and bereavement services.
• Delays in documentation, such as death certificates, due to incomplete information can exacerbate family distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of a new checklist in an adult ED to improve interdepartmental communication.
• To assess the impact of the checklist on information recording and sharing between the ED, mortuary, and bereavement office.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a tick-box-style death-in-department checklist in a London hospital adult ED.
• Pre- and post-implementation audits to measure information recording and sharing rates.

Main Results:

• A 75% increase in the recording and sharing of essential information between the ED and other relevant departments.
• Successful adoption of the checklist in an associated ED and integration into the trust's end-of-life care policy.

Conclusions:

• The new checklist significantly improved communication and information sharing following patient deaths in the ED.
• This initiative streamlined processes, reduced documentation delays, and positively impacted family support.