Mobile Audit Program to Improve Efficiency in Nursing Audit

Abstract Description

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Authors (including presenting author) :

Lau C (1), Fung S (2), Poon P (2), Lam Q (2), Tong KM (2)(3)

Affiliation :

Nursing Quality and Risk Management, Central Nursing Division, Princess Margaret Hospital, (2) Information Technology Department,Princess Margaret Hospital, (3) Kowloon West Cluster Information Technology

Introduction :

There were regular nursing audits and Hospital Authority (HA)-wide nursing audits annually for all hospitals across HA. Each audit involved sample size around 100 to 150 audit samples. Nursing colleagues were using paper audit forms to conduct the audits: printed out one audit form for one audit sample and marked on the audit form for data collection, and then conduct data entry according to the form. The workflow required transcription of audit data from paper to Excel file for analysis. Disadvantages of this practice included: (1) Risk of transcription error and illegible handwriting; (2) labor intensive; (3) environmental unfriendly: waste of paper; (4) require extra storage space for the paper forms after audits.

Objectives :

Development of the mobile audit program to help nursing colleagues to conduct the nursing audits through the IT program. Aim to achieve automated, paperless, accurate, one-stop data entry without transcription, and time-saving in the audit process through IT.

Methodology :

Liaised with KWC IT team to develop the mobile audit program that would cater the need during the nursing audit process. Features including HN number barcode scanning, photo taking function at each criteria, and special weighting for critical criteria were tailor made and incorporated into this program. The mobile audit program “KWC FormATTA” developed. Features including: the app could work even in areas without HA Wi-Fi coverage to achieve data capture anywhere, departmental access to form inventory, various data types and validation, photo captured to data record and barcode scanning. Supported by hospital management and HAHO IT Department. Budget approved for purchased of new iPads for conducting nursing audits. Pilot trial of FormATTA conducted in July 2018. All three 2018/19 HA-wide nursing audits were conducted with this mobile audit program.

Result & Outcome :

FormATTA was a very user friendly program which greatly improved the data quality and efficiency in the nursing audit process. The features of HN number barcode scanning protected patient data privacy and enabled data validation and further data collection with indicated case if required. The photo capture feature greatly improved the data quality with support from clinical photos. The photos captured during the three nursing audits on the non-compliances, on issues related to risk alert, or good practices had greatly improved the promulgation and sharing of important learnings from audits. FormATTA also greatly improved the efficiency in the data collection and data entry process as the program support automatic transferal of data collected into excel file and ready for data analysis. It saved the time for data entry and reduce the risk of transcribing error in the process of data entry and boosted data quality. FormATTA has achieved the objective to be an effective program to support nursing audits.