Developing the Next Generation in Electronic Clinical Auditing: CoBRA Tool.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Auditing

Background:

• Traditional clinical auditing is retrospective, time-consuming, and requires specialized expertise.
• Real-time clinical audit data are crucial for effectively managing patient safety issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an electronic audit tool for real-time patient safety risk assessment and mitigation.
• To improve the efficiency and accessibility of clinical audit data collection.

Main Methods:

• An iterative development approach was used to create the Combined Bedside and Risk Assessment (CoBRA) electronic audit tool.
• A cross-sectional survey was employed to evaluate the tool's effectiveness and user satisfaction.
• The CoBRA tool was designed to capture patient safety risks and compliance data, including falls, pressure injuries, and infections.

Main Results:

• Over 17,956 safety audits were collected from randomly selected inpatients, with an average monthly completion rate of 96%.
• The CoBRA tool provided real-time patient safety risk mitigation insights.
• Stakeholders reported the tool's utility in educating patients (78.3%), improving patient care (67.4%), and prompting care modifications (54%).

Conclusions:

• The electronic CoBRA process significantly facilitates patient safety risk mitigation.
• The CoBRA tool enhances data transparency in clinical auditing.
• Implementation of the CoBRA tool leads to improved patient safety outcomes and care quality.