Category > Patient safety

PReCePT study – BJOG

The success of PReCePT, a programme to increase the use of magnesium sulphate to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies, has been highlighted in a new paper published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The researchers found that in the year before the study started, 68% of eligible mothers in the control group and 64% of mothers in the enhanced support group received magnesium sulphate. After the study, this had gone up to 84% and 85% respectively.

PReCePT study – Archives of Disease in Childhood

The results of the PReCePT study were published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The study, compared uptake of magnesium sulphate in 137 maternity units under a national programme to prevent cerebral palsy in pre-term labour. 

The researchers found that following the intervention, update of magnesium sulphate was 6.3% higher in maternity units. They concluded that this was a cost-effective intervention. 

Frailty Pathway Evaluation

Evaluation of a new frailty pathway being piloted in South Gloucestershire shows patients feel less isolated and better able to manage their health as a result of the service.

The evaluation found that 71% of patients say the new frailty service has helped them to better manage their health and two-thirds felt less isolated. 90% of staff felt patients’ quality of life had improved, while 89% of staff agreed that the pathway enables shared decision-making.

A mixed-method evaluation of a regional quality improvement programme SHarED

The evaluation of SHarED (Supporting High impact users in Emergency Departments) conducted by NIHR ARC West, showed the project reduced ED attendances by 33% and hospital admissions by 67% among high impact users. SHarED successfully promoted better and more integrated care for high impact users and gave practical support to staff working in very difficult environments.

Evaluation Summary of the Black Maternity Matters Pilot

We evaluated the Black Maternity Matters pilot. The pilot demonstrated that anti-racist training has improved the knowledge and skills associated with cultural competency in midwives and maternity support workers. The evaluation showed that training participants had overestimated their cultural competency at the start of the programme but by the end, they had increased their understanding of how racism impacts health inequalities and they were able to transfer this knowledge to their work context.

Perinatal excellence to reduce injury in preterm birth (PERIPrem) through quality improvement

An evaluation, conducted independently by the South West AHSN indicates how the PERIPrem bundle and QI approach has increased the uptake of these 11 interventions in 12 NHS Trusts across the South West, as well as improved perinatal team culture. By the end of the evaluation period, 26% more mothers and babies born prematurely in the South West received the care interventions they were eligible for, compared to before PERIPrem started.

National Early Warning Score

Recording National Early Warning Scores (NEWS) when a patient is urgently referred to hospital can improve the process of care for the sickest patients and reduce the time taken to get to hospital, according to a Health Innovation West of England supported study funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) at the University of Bristol which has been published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP).