212 Surgical Operation Note Audit

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Medical record keeping is a fundamental part of the GMC’s Good Medical Practice [1,2]. Surgeons must ensure accurate, comprehensive, and legible records are maintained [3]. An operation note is essential to ensure continuity of care between operating team and other colleagues and provides a medicolegal record of a patient’s care [4]. Handover errors have been implicated in as many as 80% of sentinel events [5], highlighting the importance of ensuring accurate record keeping. Method We aimed to assess compliance of surgical operation notes against the Royal College of Surgeons guidance and identified areas for improvement. 48 operation notes were reviewed at a district general hospital in the west midlands over two weeks. Operation notes on standard intranet proforma and custom operation notes were compared to determine better compliance. Results We identified areas of most compliance vs areas of least compliance. Most and least compliant outcomes are listed below: Conclusions Good compliance was noted. Using the proforma on the intranet resulted in higher compliance than custom notes (84% vs 53% respectively). Adding a complications section to standard proforma can increase compliance. This audit was performed during COVID-19 restrictions therefore investigated emergency operation notes only which limited the audit.