1507 Prospective Audit of Vascular Handover List

Good handover is paramount for orientating on-call teams coming onto shift and maintaining patient safety. In our tertiary referral centre a pre-prepared list on our shared drive is used to handover vascular patients in the hospital. It was felt that there was insufficient information on the list and that inconsistencies / inaccuracies could compromise patient safety. Method We performed a full-cycle prospective audit using GMC/ RCSEng guidance as standards. Our list was audited over a period of 10 days 4/2/20-14/2/20. In addition, a questionnaire was sent around doctors of all grades to highlight areas of improvement and to gather ideas. The second cycle (17/2/20- 27/2/20) was then performed after introduction of a new list, which allowed more comprehensive information to be collected in a shared drive. Junior doctors on the team were briefed, and results collected with a second questionnaire. Results The new list showed statistically significant improvements in inclusion of key information as set out in the standards. These included presenting complaint ’92% from 57%,’ Diagnosis ’98% from 89%, clinical history 91% from 35%, significant results 86% from 13% and outstanding tasks 80% from 6.2%. (These were all significant p = 0.001 Mann-Whitney U.) Further information including antibiotics and VTE was included after feedback from department. 85% found the new list easier to navigate and 76% felt it reduced risk to patient safety. Conclusions Introduction of a revised handover list in a vascular tertiary referral centre resulted in significant improvements in adherence to RCSEng/ BMA standards and staff perceived benefit to patient safety.