383 Implementation of a Discharge Summary Template in Vascular Surgery

Abstract Aim To improve the quality of Vascular Surgery Discharge Summaries at a Tertiary Surgical Centre. Method A specialised discharge summary template was created and implemented for Vascular Surgery patients at St. George’s Hospital, London. Design of the template was informed by auditing previous discharge summaries, discussions with the multidisciplinary consultant body, and NICE best practice guidelines. Discharge summaries were audited pre- and post-implementation of the template, to assess whether ten key pieces of information were included in them. Each cycle of the audit analysed 30 discharge summaries. Results After the template was implemented, there was an improvement in all of the domains audited. On average, more than 93% of key information was included in the discharge summaries where the template was used, compared to only 63% without use of the template. Conclusions The template design gives guidance and structure to doctors writing discharge summaries for complex surgical patients. It does this by prompting them to include all the necessary information to facilitate safe transfer of care to general practitioners, other specialties and allied health professionals. It also encourages an evidence-based approach to optimise their ongoing care. Clinician feedback demonstrates that the template increases the efficiency of writing discharge summaries, and decreases the time taken to complete them.