Continuity of care and changes in physical location in hospitals
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the effect of continuity of care and changes in physical location on patient outcomes and hospital resourcing to improve efficiency and effectiveness of patient care
IRAS ID
335679
Contact name
Robert J B Goudie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
https://osf.io/dvmus/, Protocol registration
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
BACKGROUND
Patients admitted for medical care in UK hospitals typically move through a series of different hospital wards during their hospital stay, and are cared for by a number of different doctors. “Continuity of care” is when a patient sees the same doctor or team of doctors throughout their stay.
Moving between wards can cause confusion for patients and increase the risk of falls. Additionally, each move places demands on hospital portering and cleaning staff. Poor continuity of care may lead to patients being frustrated with the need to repeat information, and may reduce trust in the clinical team. Poor continuity of care may also waste hospital staff time, since each new team must spend time understanding what has happened to that patient so far during their hospital stay. This reduces the time available to see other patients, and increases the risk that important facts are forgotten. It may also lead to unnecessary repetition of tests.
Despite the widespread belief that bed moves and continuity of care affect care quality and hospital efficiency, there is little evidence about how much of an effect this has in UK hospitals, meaning it is unclear whether hospitals should prioritise it.
AIM
We will assess the effect of bed moves and continuity of care in a single UK hospital (Addenbrookes, Cambridge), and quantify the size of this effect if it exists.
METHODS
We will examine the effect of bed moves and continuity of care on several aspects, including how many days patients spend in hospital and the use of other hospital resources. We will use electronic health record data that is collected routinely during hospital care. We will use de-identified data on all adult patients admitted for medical care during a 2 year period (estimated 36,000 patients).
We have consulted the Cambridge PPI panel.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SW/0152
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion