Real time adverse event reporting by patients using a smart phone app
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the feasibility of training patients to identify adverse events in real time using a smart phone app
IRAS ID
168574
Contact name
Elaine Burns
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Compliance Office
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Patients are often the only observers of the whole process of their care and studies have shown that they have the ability to detect adverse events and errors. Adverse events are defined as an event where a physical injury or complication occurs to a patient due to healthcare management. Errors are the failure of a planned action to be completed or the use of a wrong plan to achieve an aim and may not cause harm.
Adverse events have a negative effect on post-operative quality of life. Therefore, it is important that health care organisations are open to and supportive of patients’ involvement in safety monitoring.
Current interventions focusing on patient satisfaction, such as the “friends and family” test do not fully engage patients in safety monitoring.
Studies looking at adverse events have collected data after the care has been provided. This delay in reporting will introduce recall bias. The mystery patient study investigates patients’ ability to provide effective safety incident reporting that goes beyond listing activities of their experience; to monitoring their own care while it takes place. This empowerment of patients may improve satisfaction with their care.
This study uses a mystery customer technique that allows trained, elective surgical patients, to monitor their care incognito. The data will be collected using a smartphone application. The primary outcomes of the study will be the number and nature of adverse events or errors, which will be compared with those, found from retrospective case note review. We will measure the views of the participants including ward staff and the impact of incidents on quality of life. Feedback from the patient on using the smartphone application will also be obtained.
The study will assess whether patients can detect adverse events in their own care while it happens, using a smartphone application.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0480
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion