Development of an adhesive surgical ward round checklist: a technique to improve patient safety.

Checklists have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Checklist use is seen in the pre-operative to post-operative phases of the patient pathway. An adhesive checklist was developed for ward rounds due to the positive impact it could have on improving patient safety. Over an eight day period data were collected from five consultant-led teams that were randomly selected from the surgical department and divided into sticker groups and control groups. Across the board percentage adherence to the Good Surgical Practice Guidelines (GSPG) was markedly higher in the sticker study group, 1186 (91%) in comparison with the control group 718 (55%). There was significant improvement of documentation across all areas measured. An adhesive checklist for ward round note taking is a simple and cost-effective way to improve documentation, communication, hand-over, and patient safety. Successfully implemented in a tertiary level centre in Dublin, Ireland it is easily transferable to other surgical departments globally.

The financial imperative of physicians to control demand of laboratory testing.

It is an integral component of doctor's duty of care to understand the significant impact laboratory testing has on the expense an ultimate quality of healthcare patients receive, yet the costs of these tests are poorly perceived. Utilising semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, we assessed surgeon's perceived costs of two commonly encountered clinical scenarios requiring out of hours laboratory testing. Of the 35 participants only 23.3% (n = 7) accurately estimated the overall cost. The most expensive test was "Type and Screen" at Euro 83, with 77.3% (n = 17) underestimating the cost. Non-consultant hospital doctors qualified for 3 years were more likely to underestimate on-call costs (p = 0.042). It is of utmost importance to improve the knowledge of all surgeons of the financial implications of investigations. Through education we can potentially reduce un-warranted costs and fulfill our duty of care in the most cost efficient manner.

The burden of motorcycle-related neuro-trauma in Ireland and associated helmet usage.

Motorcycles represent less than 2% of the licensed vehicles but motorcyclists account for 12% of road deaths in Ireland. The British Road Safety Authority has introduced the Sharp programme, which hopes to save 50 lives in the U.K. each year alone by helping riders to choose the best-fitting and safest helmets. We evaluated the pattern of head injuries sustained by motorcyclists referred to the two neurosurgical centres Beaumont Hospital and Cork University Hospital in Ireland and ascertained if the new SHARP guidelines could be of benefit in reducing the burden of motorcycle related neurotrauma and disability in Ireland. Despite Ireland having mandatory helmet laws almost a quarter of our motorcyclists with traumatic brain injury were unhelmeted. A significant reduction in mortality and morbidity is predicted if all motorcyclists in Ireland were to wear helmets that satisfied the SHARP criteria.