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Impact of New Clinical Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Clinical Incidents and Complaints at a UK Teaching Hospital
- Source :
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 18, Issue 8, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 3979, p 3979 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background: To investigate any associations between new clinical policies implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic and harm to patients. Methods: Retrospective data collection of incidents and complaints reported through Datix®, and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), respectively. The setting was the Family Health division in a University teaching hospital in the UK. Primary and secondary outcome measures included: the proportion of incidents reported on Datix® from 23 March 2020 to 29 May 2020, compared to the period from 23 March 2019 to 29 May 2019. COVID-19 related incidents and complaints and association with newly published guidelines or pathways from 23 March 2020 to 29 May 2020 were investigated. Results: There was no significant difference in the proportion of overall patient activity resulting in incidents reported on Datix in 2020 (2.08%) compared to 2019 (2.09%), with 98% resulting in no/low harm in 2020. Three incident categories had increases in relative proportions of incidents including the terms “COVID” or “Corona” compared to incidents that did not: “Child death”, “delay/failure to treatment and procedure” and “information governance”. One of the child deaths was a miscarriage and we were unable to link the second child death to a change in clinical policy at this stage. We were only able to link two COVID-19 associated incidents with a pathway or procedural change (one to the Children’s Emergency Department admission pathway and the second to the introduction of virtual antenatal clinics). Eighteen complaints related to COVID-19 were logged. However, at this stage, we are unable to link any of these to a published change in clinical policy. Conclusions: New policies introduced in the division, during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with similar rates of clinical incidents, when compared with the previous year. There were only two COVID-19-related incidents clearly related to a change in pathways and procedures. Continued surveillance and improved metrics for monitoring the impact of changes to pathways and procedures should be sought with the sustained presence of COVID-19 in clinical areas.
- Subjects :
- safety
medicine.medical_specialty
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
lcsh:Medicine
030204 cardiovascular system & hematology
complaints
Article
Miscarriage
paediatrics
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Pregnancy
incidents
Pandemic
medicine
Humans
Information governance
030212 general & internal medicine
Hospitals, Teaching
Pandemics
Retrospective Studies
COVID
child
obstetrics
SARS-CoV-2
business.industry
lcsh:R
gynaecology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
COVID-19
Retrospective cohort study
Emergency department
medicine.disease
United Kingdom
Child mortality
Policy
Harm
quality
Family medicine
Corona
Female
business
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16604601
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c843ecc3a445abf7b9928e6a0a2ac479
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18083979