Homerton University Hospital Action Card App: Overall Patient Safety Learning award winner

Summary

To improve their time to sepsis treatment, Homerton University Hospital (HUH) developed the Action Card App. 

Content

HUH Action Cards were initially developed made from plastic and guided nursing teams on recognition and treatment. This improved tenfold, with 100% of  patients being identified and treated for sepsis according to the CQUINN. However, the challenges of these cards included infection control of cards, becoming worn and heaviness of lanyards. An App was then planned in collaboration with BD. This App would be much more user friendly, dynamic and would have increased functionality.

Challenges included getting stakeholders on board with this, considering that this concept started at 'grass-root' level nursing and also whether this would be suitable with our IT systems and firewalls. Further ideas were put together about making this not just nursing orientated, but for medical staff and allied professionals, incorporating IV guides, micro-guides and toxbase to name a few along, with standard operating procedures and resuscitation guidelines. This would be a 'one stop shop' for all things, and would "save 2 minutes” to spend with our patients as oppose to searching for a computer or dealing with slow departmental systems.

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