E-Handover in Surgery Improves Clinical Efficiency and Adherence to COVID-19 Infection Control Measures

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Surgical Operations
• Infection Control

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated enhanced infection control measures in clinical settings.
• Traditional paper-based surgical ward rounds posed challenges to social distancing and efficient information sharing.
• The pandemic accelerated digital technology adoption in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a Surgical Electronic Handover (E-Handover) system.
• To improve efficiency, patient safety, and compliance with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.
• To mitigate information governance risks associated with traditional handover methods.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project utilizing the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) methodology.
• Stakeholder engagement to introduce the Surgical E-Handover system.
• Pre- and post-implementation surveys to assess the impact on ward round processes.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in ward round efficiency and adherence to COVID-19 social distancing measures (p<0.001).
• Reduced staff presence in crowded areas and decreased simultaneous access to patient records.
• Enhanced patient safety and reduced potential for information governance breaches (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Surgical E-Handover is a superior alternative to printed patient lists for surgical ward rounds.
• The digital system demonstrably enhances clinical efficiency and infection control compliance.
• Routine adoption of Surgical E-Handover is recommended for surgical departments.