Poor communication ‘putting patients at risk’
Patient safety is being put at risk due to poor communication systems within hospitals, a new report warns today.
A British Medical Association study entitled “Making IT work for Junior Doctors” states that reform in working patterns have overtaken the speed of the development of hospital information systems, meaning that vital details of patient care are not being passed between healthcare professionals.
The report raises concerns that junior doctors coming off shift are unable to receive information about new patients under their care, while nurses experience confusion over which doctor to contact in an emergency. It is reported that poor communications have led to doctors spending time out of working hours typing up patient lists on their home computers.
Furthermore, problems of communication during shift changeover periods in hospitals are expected to increase when limits on working hours for junior doctors come into force this August.
The report makes a number of recommendations designed to improve hospital information systems, including the setting up of electronic directories providing contact details for doctors. It also states that doctors should carry mobile communication devices in order to more efficiently prioritise demands on their time and to enable them to identify genuine medical emergencies.
Simon Eccles, the deputy chairman of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Committee stated today: “The NHS urgently needs to develop information systems that take changes to working patterns into account. If these problems are not addressed there will be unacceptable risks to patients.”
