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The Development and Implementation of a Transfer Follow-up Program at a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center
Cindy D Colson1, Emily C Alberto, Jennifer L Fritzeen
1Division of Trauma and Burn Surgery, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia.
Insights
Implementing an electronic transfer feedback program improved communication for pediatric trauma and burn patients. This system enhances care by providing consistent outcome data to referring hospitals, supporting trauma system growth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma Care
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Inconsistent feedback to referring hospitals hinders trauma system development and optimal patient care.
- Pediatric trauma and burn patients are transferred to a Level I center, necessitating improved communication with referring facilities.
- Lack of a consistent system previously prevented addressing performance issues or sharing patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and evaluate a formal electronic transfer follow-up program for pediatric trauma and burn patients.
- To establish a consistent method for providing feedback on patient care and outcomes to referring hospitals.
- To enhance communication and collaboration between the trauma center and referring facilities.
Main Methods:
- A before-and-after quality improvement study design was employed.
- A software-based electronic transfer feedback program was developed and implemented.
- The program automated follow-up letters and tracked communication metrics.
Main Results:
- The study evaluated 383 patients pre-program (2018) and 369 patients post-program (2019).
- The program achieved an average of 70% follow-up per referral.
- An average return rate of 45% for feedback was maintained post-implementation.
Conclusions:
- The electronic feedback program successfully enhanced communication with referring facilities.
- The system is expected to exceed goals for providing essential feedback on pediatric trauma and burn patient care.
- Continued use and refinement of the system will further support trauma system growth and quality of care.
Background:
Inconsistent trauma patient referral feedback limits trauma system growth and may perpetuate suboptimal care. Trauma and burn patients are transferred to our Level I pediatric trauma center from hospitals in the surrounding metropolitan area. In the past, we had no consistent method to address performance improvement opportunities or provide information on patient outcomes to the referring facilities. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation and evaluation of a formal electronic transfer follow-up program.
Methods:
This was a before-and-after quality improvement study of pediatric trauma patients comparing prefeedback program implementation (2018) to postfeedback program implementation (2019). A new transfer patient feedback program was designed to address low rates of feedback provided to referring hospitals. Our center worked with a software developer to create a program that stored outside hospital contacts, automated follow-up letters, and tracked the number of letters sent, and opened, to enhance communication between trauma center and referring facilities.
Results:
A total of 383 preprogram (2018) patients and 369 postprogram (2019) patients were evaluated. Since program implementation, an average of 70% follow-up per referral and an average return rate of 45% have been maintained.
Conclusion:
As we continue to use the system and make changes, we fully expect to exceed our goal in providing essential feedback on the care of pediatric trauma and burn patients to our referring facilities.
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